Arrest in killing of North Korean defector in Paju runs into complications with suspect abroad

Police have run into complications in arresting the suspect in the death of a North Korean defector in Paju, Gyeonggi, who fled the country.

The victim was found dead at an apartment in Paju on the morning of Sept. 9, according to Yonhap News Agency on Saturday.

Police conducted an autopsy on her badly decomposed body and found signs suggesting foul play. They identified the victim’s partner, also a North Korean defector, as the suspect, but found that the suspect had left South Korea in early August.

Based on the state of decomposition, police believe the killing may have occurred around the same time.

After identifying the suspect, police took measures including invalidating the suspect’s passport, requesting notification upon entry into South Korea, restricting the issuance of a new passport and seeking an Interpol Red Notice.

The procedures, however, are reportedly taking time because they require cooperation from other South Korean government agencies, including the Foreign Ministry, as well as Interpol.

Concerns have been raised that apprehending the suspect could prove difficult because more than a month had already passed since the suspect left the country. An arrest could become even more difficult if the suspect traveled to a country where cooperation with South Korean investigators is limited or, though considered unlikely, returned to North Korea.

The victim, who defected from North Korea in December of last year, reportedly had little interaction with other defectors or her neighbors, making it difficult for those around her to notice that she had died even more than a month after her death.

The victim was under police protection and was supposed to be checked on once a month, but the required check was not properly carried out around the time of her death.

The police officer assigned to the victim last met her on July 21 and did not contact her in August. After failing to reach her this month, the officer visited her home, where she was found already dead.

Police said the victim strongly avoided face-to-face contact and had told the officer that she would reach out directly if she needed counseling, so the officer had waited for her to make contact.

At the police station in question, each officer is reportedly responsible for monitoring around 60 North Korean defectors, which makes it difficult to closely manage individual cases.

The Gyeonggi Bukbu Provincial Police Agency is conducting an internal investigation into the officer assigned to the victim.

BY JANG GU-SEUL [[email protected]]