"Ordered for a Movie," Freezer Installed a Week Prior Raises Suspicions

[Anchor]

Here is the latest update on the Paju frozen warehouse murder case. It has been revealed that the freezer where the body was found was installed at a cafe just a week before the discovery. Police have booked an additional man who drove the victim to Paju, and are focusing on uncovering the connection between the case and the gift certificates found inside the warehouse.

For more details, we turn to reporter Cho Min-ki.

[Reporter]

A large cargo truck drives down an alleyway carrying a giant white container.

About five hours later, the truck returns empty.

On August 27, a man in his 30s surnamed Shin, the suspect in the Paju frozen warehouse murder case, brought the container-type freezer into his cafe a week before the incident occurred.

Residents said they found the sudden appearance of the freezer puzzling.

[Nearby Resident: We found it strange, too. It wasn't there at all. We wondered why on earth they brought in a freezer....]

The 50 billion won worth of counterfeit department store gift certificates found alongside the body of a woman in her 60s in the freezer were reportedly ordered by Shin last July from a printing shop under the pretext that they were needed for a movie shoot.

Police have booked another man, surnamed A, on charges related to the counterfeiting of the gift certificates.

It is reported that on the day of the incident, Man A picked up the female victim in his car and dropped her off in Paju, after which the woman boarded the vehicle of the cafe owner, Shin.

Man A was also the person who informed the family that evening that the victim could not be reached.

Police have identified circumstances suggesting that Man A was involved in the production and distribution of the forged gift certificates and are verifying his specific role.

As Shin gave false statements regarding the victim's whereabouts while she was missing, disrupting the investigation, police are examining the credibility of his statements through forensic analysis of mobile phones.

Amid the spread of the suspect Shin's real name and photos on social media, public attention is also focused on whether the police will disclose his identity.

(Camera Reporter: Kim Nam-sung | Video Editor: Choi Hye-ran)

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[Anchor]

Reporter Cho Min-ki, who has been covering this case, is here with us in the studio.

Q. Was it because of tens of billions of won in "counterfeit gift certificates"?

[Reporter Cho Min-ki: Based on various circumstances, that appears to be the case. The murder suspect, Shin, operated the cafe and was known to have habitually engaged in gift certificate cash exchanges, a practice commonly known as gift certificate discounting. As reported in our previous segment, it also came to light that Shin had asked a printing shop to print the gift certificates, claiming they were for a movie shoot. Furthermore, the reason the man who drove the female victim to Paju on the day of the crime was booked is also under charges of counterfeiting securities. According to police missing persons records, the bereaved family stated that the victim went out to handle a matter involving a large sum of money. We will need to monitor further police investigations to see whether a conflict arose over the counterfeit gift certificates inside the frozen warehouse.]

Q. What questions remain?

[Reporter Cho Min-ki: An autopsy is currently underway to determine the cause of death—specifically, whether the victim was already dead when left in the frozen warehouse or if she died as a result of being trapped inside. The preliminary opinion from the forensic doctor is that there are no obvious external trauma marks. Experts say that being left in a frozen warehouse at around minus 18 degrees Celsius for just one to two hours can be fatal. The woman entered the frozen warehouse with Shin shortly after 11:00 AM on the 3rd, and was found dead about 27 hours later, around 2:30 PM the following day. About 12 hours before she was found, Shin gave false information to the police about the woman's whereabouts, which ultimately resulted in her being discovered later. It was also revealed that while leading the victim into the frozen warehouse, Shin induced her to leave her phone in his car, and at the time, even asked an AI what happens if a person is inside a frozen warehouse. As these facts continue to emerge, the police investigation to uncover the truth behind this case is expected to gain further momentum.]

(Video Editor: Lee Sang-min | Designer: Park 천웅)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.