Murder suspect arrested amid widening probe into alleged serial killing

A man who confessed to killing a woman and a taxi driver this week was arrested Wednesday, amid a widening probe into alleged serial killing.

The Goyang Branch Court of Uijeongbu District Court in northwestern Gyeonggi Province issued an arrest warrant for the unnamed 32-year-old on charges of beating a 60-year-old taxi driver to death and concealing the body inside a closet in his house in Paju, Gyeonggi Province, citing concerns about him destroying evidence and fleeing.

The arrest warrant came soon after the murder suspect on Tuesday confessed to killing the 50-something woman, who was his ex-girlfriend and landlady, in August, in addition to the male taxi driver. He allegedly hid the woman's body inside a vehicle hard-shell carrier and dumped the carrier into a creek in Paju, Gyeonggi Province.

Police began searching for the body with a team of divers and helicopters Tuesday. However, part of the search process for the woman's body at the stream Gongneungcheon in Paju was temporarily halted due to the danger posed by landmines, as the site is near the border with North Korea.

He was arrested by police on Sunday on charges of murdering a taxi driver and concealing his body, the same day the taxi driver was reported missing and his body and a blunt object were found by the suspect's current girlfriend.

The suspect, who was allegedly driving under the influence, had gotten into a minor collision with the taxi driver, according to police. They went to the suspect's home to settle the matter privately.

Police also found that the suspect, who is unemployed, had stolen credit cards from the taxi driver as well as his ex-girlfriend and used them to buy goods for his new girlfriend. The suspect reportedly stole at least some 70 million won ($55,000) in total. The figure could be greater, as the missing woman was also found to have been left with 100 million won in debt.

Police are looking into whether the killings were intentional. The suspect claims he killed them without premeditation.

In Korea, homicide is punishable by at least seven years in prison, barring extenuating circumstances. Prosecutors could seek aggravated sentencing of life imprisonment or more, depending on the motives.

Meanwhile, police are mulling over whether to reveal the identity of the suspect to the public, as a meeting of a seven-member committee over the matter is scheduled Thursday. A suspect's identity and personal information is very rarely revealed before conviction in South Korea.