▲ A wanted poster showing the suspect who murdered a woman in her 60s in a residential area in Tongyeong, Gyeongsangnam-do.
As the police investigation into the murder of a woman in her 60s in Tongyeong, Gyeongsangnam-do, faces difficulties, a fake photo of the suspect is circulating on social media, raising concerns about secondary victimization.
Recently, a photo of a man's face has been spreading on social media platforms, including Instagram, claiming to be the suspect in the Tongyeong murder case.
The photo shows a man with a sturdy build wearing a mask and a hat, with his eyes, eyebrows, and brow bone clearly visible.
Although the lower part of his face is covered, the accounts posting the image are flooded with speculative comments that could incite xenophobia, such as claims that the culprit looks like a foreigner or a migrant worker from Central Asia.
However, police investigation has determined that the photo is highly likely to be a fake, manipulated using image editing tools or artificial intelligence.
The CCTV footage actually secured by the police during the investigation does not clearly show the upper part of the suspect's face, which would be necessary to identify him.
The police investigating the case also explained that the photo circulating on the internet is different from the actual appearance of the perpetrator.
A police official drew a line, stating, "The photo circulating on social media was not provided or secured by the police, and it cannot be used as evidence."
The official added, "It is difficult to disclose specific details as the investigation is ongoing, but we will do our best to apprehend the suspect as quickly as possible."
Previously, on the morning of June 10, at approximately 6:34 a.m., a woman in her 60s was found murdered at a house in a village in Tongyeong.
Although the police have been conducting investigations, including questioning neighbors and analyzing nearby CCTV footage, they have been unable to locate the suspect for 20 days.
It is reported that identifying the suspect is difficult because he was wearing a hat, a mask, and gloves at the time of the incident, and it has not been easy to secure clues to identify him from external CCTV footage of the house.
With no news of the suspect's arrest as the case enters its 20th day, anxiety in the local community is growing.
In response, the city of Tongyeong has decided to operate a mobile psychological support service for residents experiencing anxiety and to install additional CCTV cameras in the area by next month.
A Tongyeong city official added, "We will do our best to ensure that residents can return to their daily lives with peace of mind through psychological support and the expansion of safety infrastructure."
(Photo: Provided by Yonhap News TV, Yonhap News)
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