[Anchor]

A man in his 30s who has been arrested for allegedly murdering a Japanese woman in her 20s in Cheonan, South Chungcheong Province, has claimed he committed the crime due to investment losses. However, the police suspect there may have been a sexual motive.

Reporter Hong Seung-yeon has the details.

[Reporter]

The man in his 30s, identified as A, was arrested on charges of murdering a Japanese woman in her 20s, identified as B, at an officetel in Cheonan, South Chungcheong Province.

[Suspect A (October 30): (Why did you commit the murder?) ...... (Why did you target the victim?) ......]

During police interrogation, suspect A stated, "I wanted to die because of 5 million won in stock losses, but I was afraid to die alone, so I committed the crime with the intent of killing a woman and then committing suicide."

However, the police are questioning the credibility of his statement, noting that immediately after the crime, A fled to Jeonju, which is over 100 kilometers away.

It was also revealed that the two were not in a romantic relationship, had no history of stalking reports, and had only met three times.

In particular, it was newly uncovered that just before her death, victim B made a phone call to another South Korean man.

Police secured a statement from the man, who said, "I heard B's screams."

Meanwhile, it was confirmed that suspect A had prepared a weapon in advance, and that when the victim was found, she was not wearing anything on her upper body.

The police have requested an autopsy of the victim from the National Forensic Service and are examining from various angles whether the crime was sexually motivated.

Major Japanese media outlets have reported this case as breaking news, raising the possibility that the two may have come into contact through a language exchange app.

B's bereaved family members reportedly requested strict punishment for the suspect during a meeting with the police.

While analyzing the suspect's cell phone records, the police are also focusing on unlocking the victim's locked phone to uncover how the two first came into contact and their actual relationship.

(Camera input: Kim Min-chul, Choi Woon-ki / TJB, Video Editing: Choi Hye-young)