35 Hours Until First Arrest... 'Investigation Failure Definitive Edition' Gangnam Kidnapping Murder

The case of a woman in her 40s who was kidnapped and murdered in a residential area of Gangnam, Seoul, is expected to be recorded as an example of how lax police investigations can be. The delayed joint investigation exacerbated the situation, and as the safety of the victim held hostage was not secured, criticism of the police investigation is inevitable going forward.

The incident occurred at around 11:46 p.m. on the 29th of last month. The victim was kidnapped at the entrance of an apartment complex in Yeoksam-dong, Gangnam-gu, Seoul. The 112 emergency call was received three minutes later. The police issued a 'Code Zero' (emergency dispatch), the most urgent level, and arrived at the kidnapping scene at around 11:53 p.m., seven minutes after the incident. The police met the initial caller and listened to the witness account. Afterwards, they checked nearby closed-circuit television (CCTV) footage and confirmed the vehicle license plate at around 12:33 a.m., 40 minutes after dispatch.

Three suspects in their 40s involved in the kidnapping and murder of a woman in her 40s in Gangnam-gu, Seoul, are being transported by a police escort vehicle to the Seoul Central District Court for a pre-arrest suspect interrogation (warrant hearing) on the morning of the 3rd at the Suseo Police Station in Seoul.
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The problem began after this point. The vehicle search within Seoul city was conducted at around 12:56 a.m. A police official stated, "This was because the caller gave a different description of the vehicle model." Although the license plate was confirmed, the vehicle model was different, causing delays in identifying and searching for the vehicle.

The police's inadequate response worsened thereafter. At around 4:23 a.m. on the 30th, they requested joint cooperation requiring a 'Code Zero' response from the Gyeonggi Southern Provincial Police Agency and others. The vehicle license plate was registered in the nationwide shared wanted vehicle search system only at around 4:57 a.m. This means that the police sought cooperation from other regional police agencies more than three hours after identifying the vehicle license plate.

It is reported that during these three hours, the police failed to properly track the vehicle's movements. The police began tracking the vehicle's route only after registering it in the wanted vehicle search system. The investigation should have proceeded with the possibility that the vehicle had already left Seoul early on, but the response was far too late.

In fact, the vehicle carrying the victim quickly left Seoul. About 20 minutes after the report, it passed through the Seoul Tollgate, and 10 minutes later exited the Maseong Interchange on the Yeongdong Expressway. At around 12:41 a.m., it passed through Yongin via a national road, then through Pyeongtaek, and fled to Daejeon where the body was found. The police believe the suspects murdered the victim and secretly buried the body in a mountain near Daecheong Dam in Daejeon around 6 a.m. that day.

A man in his 30s suspected of kidnapping, murdering, and abandoning a woman was urgently arrested. On the afternoon of the 31st, police investigators were loading equipment near Daecheongho Lake in Daedeok-gu, Daejeon, where the abandoned body was found.
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It is reported that Baek Nam-ik, the chief of Suseo Police Station, which has jurisdiction, and Kim Kwang-ho, the chief of Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency and the overall security chief of Seoul, received the incident report the morning after the event. They reportedly received the first related report around 7 a.m. on the 30th. The time when Woo Jong-su, head of the National Investigation Headquarters who commands nationwide investigative police, received the report is unknown.

It is not known what instructions these commanders gave after receiving the late initial report. How they directed the investigation progress and received investigation reports remains to be revealed in the future. According to the Police Crime Investigation Regulations, the head of the National Investigation Headquarters is responsible for directing and supervising the police investigation, including the chiefs of each metropolitan police agency, police station chiefs, and officials in investigative departments. Metropolitan police chiefs are required to fulfill their responsibilities through manpower and guidance to ensure reasonable and fair investigations.

The police arrested one suspect at around 10:35 a.m. on the 31st, 35 hours after the incident, at a subway station in Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province. Subsequently, two accomplices were arrested at a nearby motel at 1:15 p.m. and at Nonhyeon-dong, Gangnam-gu, Seoul at 5:40 p.m. on the same day. The police are currently confirming the specific motives and details of the crime with these suspects.

However, since the hostage was murdered, criticism of the police investigation is expected to continue. In typical criminal cases, the priority is to apprehend the suspect, and the case is closed after evidence collection and proof of the crime. However, in kidnapping cases, if the hostage's safety is not secured, the investigation is considered a failure.

The police have applied for arrest warrants for the three suspects. The pre-arrest interrogation will be held at 11 a.m. on the 3rd before Judge Yoo Chang-hoon, who is in charge of warrants at the Seoul Central District Court. The decision on whether to issue the arrest warrants is expected to be made that afternoon. The police plan to intensively investigate the specific motives and details of the crime once the suspects are detained.

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