Arrest Warrants Dismissed for Men Accused of Abandoning Body in Guro Residential Area

An octogenarian multi-family housing owner and another man accused of abandoning a dead body in a residential area in Guro-gu, Seoul, have avoided arrest.

Judge Kim Ji-hyun, the senior judge in charge of warrants at the Seoul Southern District Court, dismissed the arrest warrants for both a man in his 60s, surnamed Kim, and a man in his 80s, also surnamed Kim, after conducting pre-trial suspect interrogations (warrant review hearings) starting at 10:30 a.m. today.

Regarding the man in his 60s, who is accused of directly abandoning the body at a garbage disposal site in a residential area in Guro-dong, Guro-gu, Judge Kim explained, "Considering the fixed residence, the admission and remorse for his wrongdoing, and the lack of a criminal record resulting in a heavier sentence than a fine, it is difficult to see that there is a risk of flight or destruction of evidence."

The judge added, "At this stage, it is difficult to recognize the grounds, necessity, and appropriateness of detention."

The court also determined that there was no risk of flight or destruction of evidence for the man in his 80s, who is accused of instructing the abandonment of the body.

Judge Kim stated, "Taking into account his family relationships, advanced age, health condition, lack of any significant criminal record other than a punishment 50 years ago, and his attitude during the interrogation, it is difficult to recognize the grounds, urgency, and appropriateness of detention at this stage."

The man in his 80s is the owner of the multi-family housing unit in Guro-gu.

It was found that the man in his 60s had previously lived in the housing unit as a tenant and usually looked up to the man in his 80s like a father.

During police investigations, the two admitted to the fact that they abandoned the body.

The landlord in his 80s told police that he did not know the object he told the other man to throw away was a body, stating that he instructed him to dispose of it because it looked like a doll.

The man in his 60s told police that he did suspect what he was throwing away might be a body.

Arriving at the court for the warrant review hearing earlier today, the man in his 60s answered "I thought it was a doll" when asked by reporters whether he knew it was a body when he abandoned it.

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

The identity of the abandoned body was identified as an illegal resident of Chinese nationality.

No circumstances indicating homicide were found, and the cause of death could not be determined due to the decomposition and desiccation of the body.

Investigations showed that the deceased had lived with his wife in the multi-family housing unit owned by the man in his 80s during his lifetime.

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

Previously, the body, wrapped in plastic and newspapers, had been left unattended for five days before being discovered at around 11:00 a.m. on October 27 by a sanitation worker affiliated with the Guro-gu Office, who then reported it to the police.

It was reported that the body was already in a "mummified" state due to ongoing decomposition and drying.

(Photo: Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.