Falling into BJ addiction, accumulating tens of millions in debt... ultimately committing murder in Jeju

[Asia Economy Reporter Choi Eun-young] A man in his 20s who killed and robbed a woman he had never met, claiming to have suffered financial hardship in Jeju Island, has been brought to trial. It was revealed that the man had repeatedly showered gifts on the female BJ since last year and had even met her in person.

On the 28th, the Jeju District Prosecutors' Office announced that A (28) was arrested and indicted on charges of robbery-murder, attempted concealment of a corpse, fraud, and violation of the Specialized Credit Finance Business Act.

A is accused of killing B (39, female) around 6:50 p.m. on the 30th of last month near a field close to the traditional five-day market in Dodu 1-dong, Jeju City, as she was returning home after working, and stealing 10,000 won in cash, her mobile phone, and check card before fleeing.

On the afternoon of the 10th, Mr. A, who was arrested by the police on suspicion of murdering a woman in her 30s in a field near Jeju-si Folk Five-Day Market on the 30th of last month, is being transferred from Jeju Eastern Police Station to Jeju District Prosecutors' Office. (Photo by Yonhap News)

According to the police, A had been suffering from financial difficulties, including being unable to pay monthly rent for several months and owing tens of millions of won in debt. Notably, on the 28th of last month, he left his residence and had been living and sleeping in his van until the day of the crime while scouting for a target.

Regarding his motive, A stated that he had quit his delivery job between April and July because he felt "the money was not as much as expected," and had been unemployed and struggling financially since then.

However, the police believe that A committed the crime out of an immediate need for money rather than general financial hardship, considering that he owns a vehicle registered in his name.

In fact, it was revealed that A had been watching broadcasts of several female BJs from December last year until recently. He had gifted electronic currency worth at least 100,000 won and up to 2 million won to win their favor, accumulating debt in the process. It was also confirmed that he had taken out loans totaling about 55 million won for BJ gifts, vehicle loans, and living expenses.

It was also found that he met one BJ in person earlier this year.

On the day of the incident, A prepared a weapon in advance, wandered near the five-day market, found the victim, parked his vehicle in a parking lot at a spot where he expected the victim to walk, committed the crime, and fled.

During police interrogation, A stated, "I returned to the crime scene five hours later to move the body, but it was too heavy, so I gave up and left." It was confirmed that he had verified the victim was dead, attempted to hide the body to commit a perfect crime but abandoned the plan, and took the victim’s mobile phone, wallet containing 10,000 won in cash, and check card.

B was found dead by a resident around noon the next day. The prosecution arrested A urgently at a parking lot in Seogwipo City at 10:48 p.m. on August 31, the day after the crime.

Meanwhile, B’s father posted on the Blue House National Petition Board, saying, "My daughter (the victim) worked part-time at a convenience store for five hours every day without rest even on weekends," and added, "She walked home when it was not snowing or raining to save on bus fare, which was expensive, to save money," evoking sympathy.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.