"Big Difference from Graduation Photo" Even Alumni Couldn't Recognize Jeong Yoo-jeong... Photoshopped Pictures Also Circulating Online

After Identity Disclosure, Jeong Yoo-jeong Covers Hat and Eyes
Effectiveness Controversy... "Should Introduce Mugshots Like in the US"

As the identity of Jeong Yujeong (23), who murdered a peer woman she met through a tutoring brokerage application (app), dismembered the body, and abandoned it, has been revealed, public opinion is growing in favor of forcibly disclosing the 'mugshot (suspect photo)'.

Graduation photo and recent photo of Jeong Yu-jeong.
[Image source=MBN news screen]

Earlier, the Busan Metropolitan Police Agency held a personal information disclosure review committee on the 1st and disclosed Jeong Yujeong's name, age, and photo, who is accused of murder and corpse abandonment. The review committee stated the reason for disclosing personal information as "the severity and brutality of the crime are recognized, and it is judged that there is a great need for the public interest."

Subsequently, Jeong Yujeong's high school graduation photo was also released, but it showed a significant difference from the photo released by the police, causing controversy. MBN, which released the graduation photo, said, "Unlike the personal information disclosure photo, her sharp eyes are revealed." It is also known that her classmates could not recognize Jeong Yujeong despite her photo being released to the media.

In response, netizens are raising their voices that Korea should disclose mugshots like the United States. Under current law, disclosing mugshots in Korea requires the consent of the person involved. If a mugshot is disclosed without the person's permission, it can result in imprisonment for up to three years for the crime of publicizing suspect facts.

In other words, if the suspect consents, a photo can be taken and the mugshot disclosed in the current state, but if refused, it must be replaced with an ID photo. However, ID photos are usually taken mostly in their teens or twenties, and many have undergone retouching, so they often differ from the actual appearance.

Jeong Yoo-jeong (23), who is accused of murdering a peer woman and disposing of the body, is being transferred to the prosecution after leaving Busan Dongnae Police Station on the morning of the 2nd.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

Accordingly, photoshopped images of Jeong Yujeong's photos are being posted on online communities. Various appearances are portrayed, such as without glasses or with makeup. Netizens responded through posts saying, "This could be how she looks after release. Be cautious."

Previously, when Jeong Yujeong was transferred to the prosecution on the 2nd, she completely covered her face by wearing a wide-brimmed hat pulled down and a mask. This raised criticism that the effectiveness of personal information disclosure was diminished.

The controversy surrounding the disclosure of suspects' personal information is not a recent issue.

The personal information disclosure system for suspects was introduced to realize the public interest by preventing similar crimes and reducing the risk of recidivism by disclosing the names and faces of heinous criminals.

According to the current Special Act on the Punishment of Specific Violent Crimes, the face of a suspect of a specific violent crime, where the means of the crime are cruel and serious damage has occurred, can be disclosed when there is sufficient evidence to believe the suspect committed the crime.

In December 2021, Lee Seok-jun brutally murdered his ex-girlfriend and her mother, harboring resentment over her reporting him for sexual assault, and inflicted serious injuries on his elementary school-aged younger brother. With the decision to disclose his identity, Lee Seok-jun became the first and last case to have a mugshot released instead of a formal ID photo, with his consent.
[Photo by National Police Agency]

When personal information disclosure is decided, the suspect's face is usually exposed to the media during transfer scenes.

However, Go Yujeong, who killed her ex-husband and then dismembered and abandoned the body, appeared in 2019 with so-called 'curtain hair,' using long hair to cover her face, sparking a full-scale debate on the effectiveness of personal information disclosure.

Earlier this year, Lee Giyeong, who killed a taxi driver and his cohabitant, also refused to have his mugshot taken. Despite a large difference between his actual appearance and the disclosed ID photo, he covered his face tightly with a mask during transfer, causing controversy.

At that time, the Police Agency Human Rights Committee also suggested reviewing regulations and laws related to mugshot disclosure.

Meanwhile, Jeong Yujeong killed the victim with a weapon at the victim's house in Geumjeong-gu, Busan, around 5:40 p.m. on the 26th of last month, then abandoned the body.

To make it look like a disappearance, she put the body in a suitcase, took a taxi, and abandoned it in a forest near the Nakdong River. However, the taxi driver reported it as suspicious after seeing the suitcase stained with blood left in the forest, leading to her emergency arrest. Jeong Yujeong confessed during police investigation on the 31st of last month, saying, "I wanted to try killing someone."

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