"Shot in Bulk Under the Pretext of 'Movie Filming'... Questions Raised Over Installation a Week Prior"

[Anchor]

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

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

[Reporter]

A large cargo truck passes through 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-style frozen warehouse into the cafe a week before the incident occurred.

Residents said they found the sudden appearance of the frozen warehouse puzzling.

[Nearby Resident: We were also puzzled. It wasn't there at all. But we wondered why on earth they brought in a frozen warehouse...]

The 50 billion won worth of forged department store gift certificates found alongside the body of a woman in her 60s in the frozen warehouse were reportedly ordered by Shin in July after visiting a printing shop, claiming they were needed for a movie shoot.

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

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

It was also man A who informed the family that evening that he could not reach the female victim.

Police have grasped circumstances indicating 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 female victim's whereabouts while she was missing, throwing the investigation into confusion, police are examining the credibility of his statements through mobile phone forensics and other investigations.

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. Driven by tens of billions of won in 'forged gift certificates'?

[Reporter Cho Min-ki: Various circumstances point to that conclusion. The murder suspect, Shin, reportedly operated the cafe while also engaging in gift certificate exchange businesses, commonly known as gift certificate cashing. As reported in the previous segment, it was also revealed that Shin had requested a printing shop to print gift certificates under the pretext of movie filming. Furthermore, the reason the man who drove the victim to Paju on the day of the crime was booked is also on charges of counterfeiting securities. According to the police missing persons report records, the bereaved family stated that the victim went out to resolve a matter involving a large sum of money. We will need to watch the police investigation further to see if a conflict arose over the forged gift certificates inside the frozen warehouse.]

Q. What questions remain unanswered?

[Reporter Cho Min-ki: An autopsy is currently underway to determine the exact cause of death, specifically whether the victim had already passed away before being left in the frozen warehouse, or if she died as a result of being trapped inside. The preliminary opinion from the coroner is that there are no apparent external injuries. Experts say that being left unattended in a frozen warehouse, which is typically around minus 18 degrees Celsius, for just one to two hours can be fatal. The woman entered the frozen warehouse together with Shin at a little past 11:00 AM on the 3rd, and was found dead about 27 hours later, at around 2:30 PM the following day. About 12 hours before she was found, Shin gave false accounts of the woman's whereabouts to the police, which ultimately resulted in her being discovered later. It was found that Shin induced the victim to leave her mobile phone in his vehicle while bringing her to the frozen warehouse, and at the time, he even asked an AI what happens if a person is inside a frozen warehouse. With these facts coming to light, the police investigation to uncover the full truth of this case is expected to gain further momentum.]

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