Korean man arrested for alleged murder in U.S. 6 years ago

A 31-year-old Korean man surnamed Park who murdered a fellow Korean in the United States six years ago was finally caught in Korea, police announced Monday.

At around 6:40 a.m. on Dec. 8, 2011, Park, a student at the time, was leaving a Korean restaurant in Atlanta, Georgia, with a few friends when he was hit by a car. Park got into an argument with the driver and the passenger, a Korean student surnamed Koh, who he allegedly stabbed in the neck, chest and abdomen, killing him. Park flew back to Korea two days after the incident. American police arrested Park’s three companions, but released them on bail when they pleaded innocent. With Park missing, the investigation came to a standstill.

Last August, the United States requested an extradition warrant for Park from the Seoul High Court, and Korean police began investigations in September, when the high court issued an arrest warrant. Seoul Metropolitan Police arrested Park at Seoul Station on Nov. 1, after receiving reports that Park was spotted riding an express bus to Busan on Oct. 31 and planned to return to Seoul via KTX. Prior to the arrest, police tried to track Park down by looking at his phone and medical records. Investigators found that Park had been living an otherwise ordinary life as a telemarketer for an insurance company since his return. If prosecutors forward the case to the high court within three days of the arrest, the high court will have two months to decide whether to extradite Park to the United States. Police sources say Park may be facing a life sentence without parole if American judicial authorities find him guilty. Park has been denying the charges since his arrest, according to police.

BY BAE JAE-SUNG, KIM EUN-JIN [kim.eunjin1@joongang.co.kr]