The personal information of a man in his 30s, who trapped and killed a woman in her 60s inside the walk-in freezer of a cafe in Paju, Gyeonggi Province, is spreading across social media.
Recently, posts containing the real name and photo of the suspect in his 30s, identified as A, who has been arrested on murder charges, along with the name of the cafe he operated, have been posted one after another on social media and online communities.
Some posts also included explanations that the name of the cafe operated by A was created in a way that allows people to guess his age.
Amid news of the gruesome and bizarre incident, attention is also turning to whether the police will officially disclose his identity.
Under current law, the disclosure of a suspect's identity is determined by considering requirements such as whether the crime was committed with brutal means and resulted in severe damage, and whether it is necessary for the public interest, such as ensuring the public's right to know and preventing recidivism.
A is accused of luring a woman in his 60s, identified as B, whom he had never met before, into his cafe, trapping her inside the freezer, and causing her death.
Considering A's method of crime and the resulting damage, there is a possibility that it meets the requirements for identity disclosure, but the police maintain that it is not yet the stage to review whether to make the disclosure.
The police stated, "We are still at the stage of looking into the overall details of the incident, including the motive for the crime," and added, "There are many issues that require additional investigation, so we are not currently discussing identity disclosure."
The police are currently re-examining the overall incident, including analyzing the credibility of the crime motive stated by A.
The police plan to forward A to the prosecution as early as this week, as soon as the additional investigation is concluded.
Reported by Jung Da-eun | Video by Lee Eui-seon | Graphics by Lee Su-min | Produced by SBS Digital News
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