Gyeongsan stabbing suspect's identity disclosed after fatal attack and naked street rampage

Police on Thursday released the identity of Jeong Jae-hwan, a 24-year-old accused of fatally stabbing a friend and then roaming the streets naked in Gyeongsan, North Gyeongsang, covered in blood.

The North Gyeongsang Provincial Police Agency’s Deliberative Committee on Disclosure of Personal Information decided on Friday to release Jeong’s identity, citing the seriousness and brutality of the alleged crime, sufficient evidence linking him to the offense, and the public interest, including crime prevention.

Jeong is accused of stabbing a friend dozens of times with a bladed weapon at around 4 a.m. on July 4 while drinking with friends at his apartment in Hayang-eup, Gyeongsan, police said. The victim died, while another friend at the scene suffered serious injuries from the same weapon.

Investigators believe Jeong became enraged after one of his friends brought up Jeong’s past dating violence while they were drinking.

It is alleged that immediately after the attack, Jeong allegedly walked around the neighborhood naked and covered in blood, stopping at a nearby convenience store to drink milk.

He is also accused of taking a phone away from the injured friend as the friend tried to call another person for help — allegedly asking, "I'm cute, right?" during the call. While still naked and covered in blood, Jeong encountered a police patrol car but was not apprehended at the scene.

Police had been dispatched after receiving a report at around 4:18 a.m. that a naked man dripping blood was walking around.

“The responding officers and Jeong came face to face, but Jeong fled, and officers later tracked him by following bloody footprints,” a police official said. “At the time, they did not know that Jeong had committed a murder.”

After evading police, Jeong allegedly returned to the apartment, where he took a luxury watch and 20 million won ($13,400) in cash. He is also reported to have lain face down beside the victim’s body, disturbing the scene. Officers who arrived at the apartment shortly after arrested him there.

The Gyeongsan Police Station detained Jeong on a murder charge on July 7 and referred him to prosecutors while in detention on Tuesday. The victim’s family has filed a complaint asking police to pursue an additional charge of damaging a corpse.

Investigators found two bladed weapons at the scene believed to have been used in the attack. Police said Jeong tested negative in a preliminary drug screening and that no evidence related to drug use was found at the scene. Jeong has reportedly told investigators he cannot recall the details of the attack because he was intoxicated.

BY KIM JUNG-SEOK [[email protected]]