Body Discarded in Guro Trash Bin Identified as Undocumented Chinese National

The body found in a mummified state in a residential area in Guro-gu, Seoul, has been identified as an undocumented Chinese national.

No evidence of foul play has been uncovered so far, and the cause of death—whether natural or due to illness—remains unconfirmed due to the decomposition and desiccation of the body.

The Seoul Guro Police Station announced today (October 29) that the body discovered in a residential area in Guro-dong on the morning of October 27 has been identified as a Chinese man.

It was confirmed that the deceased man had been living with his wife in a multi-family housing unit owned by an 80-something man surnamed Kim, who is suspected of having ordered the abandonment of the body in this case.

Police believe that the wife may have fled out of concern that reporting her husband's death would expose her undocumented status.

The landlord, surnamed Kim, is suspected of discovering the tenant's body and instructing a 60-something acquaintance also surnamed Kim, who usually followed his directions, to dump it in a trash area.

Wrapped in plastic and newspapers, the body was discarded in the trash area on October 22, left unattended for five days, and then discovered around 11:00 AM on October 27 by a sanitation worker employed by the Guro-gu Office.

During police questioning, the two suspects admitted to the act of abandoning the body.

However, the landlord Kim stated that he merely instructed someone to throw away an object that looked like a doll and did not know it was a body.

The 60-something Kim was understood to have stated that he suspected it might be a body.

Judge Kim Ji-hyun, the duty judge for warrants at the Seoul Southern District Court, held a pre-trial detention hearing (warrant substantive examination) at 10:30 AM today for the two suspects on charges of abetment of corpse abandonment and corpse abandonment, respectively.

The landlord Kim did not answer questions from reporters upon arriving at the court.

In response to a reporter's question asking whether he knew it was a body when abandoning it, the 60-something Kim replied, "I thought it was a doll."

When asked if he admitted to the charges, he said "Yes," and when asked if he admitted to the charge of abandoning the body, he stated, "I am sorry."

Police are currently investigating the deceased man's activities prior to his death, the circumstances surrounding his death, and the whereabouts of his wife.
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.