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Police release personal information of suspect in Daegu suitcase murder

Published: 08 Apr. 2026, 18:47

Cho Jae-bok, a 26-year-old man who is suspected of assaulting and killing his mother in law [DAEGU METROPOLITAN POLICE AGENCY]

Police on Wednesday disclosed the identity of 26-year-old Cho Jae-bok, who allegedly beat his mother-in-law to death and then abandoned her body in a suitcase in a stream in Daegu.

Police posted personal details of the suspect, including his age and photo, on the official website of the Daegu Metropolitan Police Agency after holding a session at the committee governing disclosure of suspect information. The notice will be effective through May 8.

The committee “recognizes the brutality of the crime and the severity of the damage,” adding that the disclosure is “necessary for the public interest, such as purposes of crime prevention.”

Cho did not appeal, and the bereaved relatives also agreed to the disclosure.

Cho is accused of fatally assaulting his mother-in-law with his hands and feet at a studio apartment in Jung District, Daegu, on March 18. He also reportedly placed her body in a suitcase and dumped it near a stream in Buk District in the same city.

Police launched an investigation immediately after the suitcase was found near the Sincheon stream on March 31, about two weeks after the incident.

That same afternoon, they reviewed footage of nearby closed-circuit television and urgently arrested two suspects, Choi and his wife, who is believed to have participated in the disposal of the body.

Police plan to transfer Cho to prosecutors in custody on Thursday on charges, including murdering an older family member, abandonment of a corpse and causing bodily injury. His wife is likely to be referred to the prosecution on charges of abandoning a corpse.

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 HYEON YE-SEUL [[email protected]]