Investigators have found signs that a woman in her 50s killed at an officetel in Suyu-dong, Gangbuk-gu, Seoul, had been living with a man. Police are focusing their investigation on resident testimony and the man's movements to determine whether he is the same person arrested on murder charges.
According to police and witnesses at the scene Tuesday, the victim, identified only as A, was frequently spotted around the officetel with a man who was not a family member. A delivery worker in his 60s who had been bringing beverages to the unit for four years said, "The two were always together — I thought they were a couple," adding that they "looked like they were practically living together."
According to the delivery worker, A used to order two yogurt drinks at a time when the man was with her, but began ordering just one more often after he changed jobs. On the day before his day off, she would ask, "Give me one extra tomorrow," suggesting the two maintained closely intertwined daily routines, the worker said.
The delivery worker also said he saw the two enter the building together around 3 p.m. Sunday. "The man was about 175 to 177 centimeters tall and of average build," he said, adding that the man had appeared to visit roughly once a week in recent months.
Police received a tip about the suspect at 1:17 a.m. Tuesday and arrested him at 1:40 a.m. Officers recovered a knife, a hammer and other weapons at the scene. Narcotics were also found at the scene.
An official at the Gangbuk Police Station said officers are still verifying "whether the man the victim appeared to have been living with is the same person as the arrested suspect."
Police said they will continue investigating the exact time of death, the motive and the relationship between the victim and the suspect, and plan to seek an arrest warrant soon.
"Given that this is a murder case, we intend to apply for an arrest warrant, though we have not yet reached that stage — we plan to complete the process within 48 hours of the emergency arrest," a Gangbuk Police Station official said.
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