"South Korea Doesn't Execute the Death Penalty"… Outrage in China Demanding Suspect Be Brought Back

Following the murder of a Chinese female international student in Gyeongsan, North Gyeongsang Province, voices in China are also demanding strict punishment, mentioning the death penalty.

After the news broke about the death of the 20-something Chinese female international student, identified as A, who had gone missing in South Korea, related search terms soared to the top of real-time trending lists on Chinese social media, accompanied by a flood of media reports.

After A, who was visiting South Korea to attend a graduation ceremony, went on the missing persons list, posts believed to have been written by A's family were posted one after another on Chinese social media, drawing local attention to A's whereabouts.

Before the identity of the person who murdered A was revealed, local concerns were raised to the effect that "a woman living alone in South Korea was exposed to crime."

However, once it was revealed that the culprit was a part-time university lecturer surnamed Jeong, who is a Chinese national just like A, outrage erupted.

Some local media outlets even sparked controversy by erroneously reporting Jeong's nationality as "South Korean."

Local netizens are demanding severe punishment, making remarks such as, "South Korea has not carried out the death penalty for 30 years, so Jeong should be extradited to China for trial," and "He should be sentenced to death in accordance with Chinese law."

The Chinese Consulate has also requested a swift and thorough investigation from South Korean police along with strict punishment for the culprit, stating that it will also provide consular assistance for the bereaved family.

Jeong is suspected of murdering A at his residence in Hayang-eup, Gyeongsan, in the early hours of the 20th, and then mutilating and abandoning her body in various locations across the country.

He is also suspected of filing a false missing person report with the police to throw off the investigation, disguising himself in A's clothes to travel to Dongdaegu Station, and turning off A's cell phone.

Reported by Jung Da-eun | Video by Seo Byeong-wook | Graphics by Lee Su-min | Produced by SBS Digital News
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.