Personal Information of 34-Year-Old Heo Min-woo, Owner of Incheon Karaoke Bar Who Killed Customer, Released

Murderer of a customer at an Incheon karaoke bar, Heo Min-woo [Provided by Incheon Police Agency]

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Hyesook] The personal information of a karaoke bar owner who killed a customer after a dispute over the price of alcohol and then mutilated and abandoned the body was disclosed on the 17th.

The Incheon Metropolitan Police Agency held a personal information disclosure review committee in the afternoon and revealed the name, age, and photo of Heo Min-woo (34), who was arrested on charges of murder and corpse mutilation and abandonment.

The committee, composed of three internal police officers and four external experts including legal professionals, held a closed meeting and judged that this case met the criteria for disclosure of personal information due to the cruelty and seriousness of the crime.

The committee stated, "The victim was beaten and stomped to death with fists and feet over a dispute about karaoke fees and a 112 emergency call. After the murder, the perpetrator severely mutilated the body to conceal the crime and abandoned it, which falls under legally defined specific violent crimes, and the method of the crime is cruel."

They added, "Since the investigation began, continuous media coverage has drawn national attention. The public interest in guaranteeing the right to know outweighs the infringement on the suspect's human rights caused by the disclosure of personal information."

According to the Act on the Aggravated Punishment of Specific Crimes, personal information of suspects can be disclosed if there is sufficient evidence that the crime was committed with cruel means and resulted in serious harm.

Heo is accused of killing a man in his 40s, Mr. A, at his karaoke bar in Sinpo-dong, Jung-gu, Incheon, between 2:06 and 2:24 a.m. on the 22nd of last month, and then abandoning the mutilated body on the mid-slope of Cheolmasan Mountain in Bupyeong-gu.

Heo, who has a history of assault and injury, hid Mr. A's body in an empty room inside the karaoke bar for two days, then moved it by vehicle, traveling around places such as Muui-do Island and Ganghwa-do Island in Incheon, and later abandoned it in the bushes on the mid-slope of Cheolmasan Mountain in Bupyeong-gu, according to investigations.

Mr. A disappeared after visiting the karaoke bar with an acquaintance, Mr. C, at around 7:30 p.m. on the 21st of last month. Mr. A's father reported his son missing to the police on the 26th, five days later, stating, "My son who went out has not returned home."

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