Man admits to killing girlfriend over debt issues in court hearing
Published: 11 Mar. 2026, 18:24
![An image of a statue of Justitia, the goddess of justice [KOREA JOONGANG DAILY]](https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/data/photo/2026/03/11/c91c5921-5362-448c-aaf0-081c00081761.jpg)
An image of a statue of Justitia, the goddess of justice [KOREA JOONGANG DAILY]
A man accused of killing his girlfriend and dumping her body in an attempt to solve his debt problems largely admitted to the charges in court Wednesday, though his defense argued that the robbery was not premeditated.
Suwon District Court held the first hearing for the man, who was indicted in custody on charges of robbery, murder and abandoning a body.
According to prosecutors, the man parked his car in a residential area in Ansan, Gyeonggi, at around 9:40 p.m. on Dec 28, 2025, and proceeded to beat his girlfriend — who was in the passenger seat — before strangling her to death.
Afterward, he allegedly dumped her body in a wooded area beyond a highway guardrail in Sohol-eup, Pocheon, Gyeonggi.
The man began online gambling illegally in 2024 and fell into debt, prompting him to plan the crime after learning that the woman had money, according to investigators. When she tried to use her cell phone to call for help during the assault, he allegedly took the phone and threw it into the backseat to stop her.
After the crime, the man allegedly tried to transfer money from the woman’s account to his own, but failed because he did not know the password. He also allegedly attempted to take out a loan in her name, but the attempt was blocked on suspicion of voice phishing.
![The Suwon District Court in Suwon, Gyeonggi [YONHAP]](https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/data/photo/2026/03/11/b4e08716-ba7c-4323-afa3-2825390f87db.jpg)
The Suwon District Court in Suwon, Gyeonggi [YONHAP]
He did not actually secure any money, according to investigators. The two had reportedly been dating for about a month at the time of the crime.
“The defendant largely admits the facts in the indictment,” the man’s lawyer said. “However, this was not a crime he planned from the beginning with the intention of robbery.”
The lawyer added that the man did not seize the cell phone to cut off outside contact, but threw it during an argument over the phone. When the court asked whether he agreed with his lawyer’s position, the man replied that he did.
Prosecutors, however, believe the man committed the crime in a premeditated attempt to take the woman’s money, based on the black box footage from his vehicle, CCTV footage from around the crime scene, cell phone forensics and financial transaction records. He was indicted in January. The second hearing is scheduled for March 25.
This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
BY PARK JONG-SUH [[email protected]]
with the Korea JoongAng Daily
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