A suspect in the killing of a Chinese student in her 20s is escorted to Gyeongsan Police Station on Tuesday night. [Yonhap]
A suspect in the killing of a Chinese student in her 20s is escorted to Gyeongsan Police Station on Tuesday night. [Yonhap]

A Chinese university lecturer in his 30s, identified only by his surname Jeong, has partially confessed to killing a Chinese female student in Gyeongsan, North Gyeongsang Province, police said Thursday.

According to the Gyeongsan Police Station and Yonhap, Jeong told investigators he killed the victim — a 25-year-old Chinese student identified only as A — in the early hours of Aug. 20.

Surveillance footage captured A near Jeong's residence at around 2 a.m. on Aug. 20, the last time she appeared on camera. Investigators also confirmed she had last contacted her family in China around the same time.

Police said they cannot pinpoint the exact time of the killing based solely on the statements and footage obtained so far. The precise time of death is expected to be determined through an autopsy.

Evidence gathered at multiple points suggests Jeong attempted to commit the perfect crime. Immediately after the killing, he left his residence dressed in women's clothing with his face concealed by a hat, traveled to Dongdaegu Station and then returned home.

At around 10:30 p.m. on the day of the killing, Jeong left his residence alone and took a taxi to Dongdaegu Station, where he turned off the victim's mobile phone. He then changed his clothes in a restroom near the station before returning home.

The following day, at around 7 p.m., Jeong filed a missing-person report with police, identifying himself as A's boyfriend and saying she had told him she was heading to Daegu but had stopped responding to messages.

Police analyzed location data from A's mobile phone and found traces of her at two locations: a convenience store near the graduate school she had attended and an area near Dongdaegu Station.

Investigators believe Jeong staged those movements to mislead the investigation.

Jeong has been relatively cooperative with investigators, continuing to provide statements related to the crime, police said. On Wednesday, officers searched his residence and gathered additional information on his movements before and after the killing, as well as the location where the body was disposed of.

Police applied for an arrest warrant for Jeong on Wednesday, citing concerns about destruction of evidence and flight risk. A warrant review hearing is expected to take place as early as Friday.

Jeong is accused of killing A, who had traveled to South Korea to receive her graduate school completion certificate.

Police apprehended Jeong on a street in Hayang-eup, Gyeongsan, at around 7:29 p.m. Tuesday.

Police are coordinating the schedule for an autopsy on the victim's body, which they expect will establish the precise time and cause of death.


betterj@heraldcorp.com