[Anchor]

A man in his 50s, arrested on charges of murdering a couple in their 60s in Naju, South Jeolla Province, stated that he committed the crime after going to collect money he had lent them. Police, however, believe it was a planned robbery-homicide.

Lee Jeong-hoo from KBC reports.

[Reporter]

The man in his 50s was apprehended in Muan for the suspected murder of the couple in their 60s in Naju.

During police questioning, he stated that he committed the crime after visiting them to retrieve money he had lent.

Right after the crime, the man even withdrew 6 million won using the victims' debit card.

Police have secured account records to verify whether a debt relationship actually existed.

However, villagers dispute his statement, saying the couple were not the type of people to owe money to others.

[Village Resident: (The victim) is not someone who would live their life like that over money issues. They are very neat people. They are good at giving and would even take less than what is owed to them.]

[Village Resident: They are wealthy, very wealthy. They are the richest in our village. There is no reason for them to need money. Why would someone like that borrow money?]

It was also reported that the man claimed during police questioning that he "did not intend to kill them from the beginning."

However, it was confirmed that the man captured on CCTV on the day of the crime had his face concealed with a hat and a mask.

Circumstances indicating an attempt to disrupt the investigation were also identified, such as switching vehicles from a truck to a bicycle and then to a passenger car after the crime.

It was also reported that almost no footprints or fingerprints of the man were left at the crime scene.

Given various circumstances, police are leaning toward the crime being premeditated, and have changed the man's charges from murder to "robbery-homicide," requesting an arrest warrant.

Lee Jeong-hoo, KBC