Korean man murders girlfriend after stock investment dispute, stored body in kimchi fridge for 1 year

A Korean man was arrested on Sep. 29, 2025 for murdering his girlfriend over a stock investment dispute and storing her body in a kimchi refrigerator for almost a year.

The Chosun Daily reported that the man in his 40s was charged with murder and concealing a corpse.

Korea JoongAng Daily reported that the man was suspected of strangling his then-girlfriend to death on Oct. 20, 2024 in an apartment in Jochon-dong, Gunsan City.

Pre-arrest suspect interrogation

Following the man's arrest, the Jeonju District Court Gunsan Branch issued a bench warrant on Sep. 30, citing "concerns over evidence destruction and flight risk".

On Sep. 30 at around 3:25pm, the man entered the Jeonju District Court Gunsan Branch for a pre-arrest suspect interrogation.

In response to questions such as "Why did you kill her?", "Why did you hide the body for a year?" and "Do you have anything to say to the bereaved family?", the man only said he was sorry.

Kimchi refrigerator

This comes after the man strangled his girlfriend to death at the Gunsan apartment where he had been living with another woman for 10 years, The Korea Times reported.

Police arrived at the apartment on Sep. 29 to find that the victim, in her 40s, was inside the kimchi refrigerator.

Her body was not only wrapped and frozen but also intact due to the kimchi refrigerator being set to a temperature of -32°C.

Impersonation

He continued paying rent for the victim's residence to cover up his crime and sent messages to her family using her phone to pretend she was still alive.

Impersonating the victim, the man told her relatives she was busy when they asked why she could not speak on the phone.

He also borrowed 88 million won (S$79,202) under her name for living expenses.

The victim's younger sister filed a missing person's report after a year of no contact with her sister.

Another woman

Following the missing person's report, the police requested a face-to-face confirmation.

The man then pressured the woman he had been living with for 10 years to answer the call while posing as the victim.

The second woman then confronted the man, who confessed to his crime. She informed the victim's sister, who then called the police.

Investment losses

During the investigation, the man said he killed the victim during a fight over investment losses.

He claimed to have borrowed 50 million won (S$45,001) from her for investments and lost 40 million won (S$36,001) in the process.

Police said the man continued using her credit card and taking out loans in her name after he killed her.

First hearing

After his arrest, the first hearing was held on Nov. 13, according to Maeil Business Newspaper.

The man's lawyer said: "We accept all charges."

Following the first hearing, the next hearing is scheduled for Dec. 11, 2025.

Top photos via Canva