Identity, mugshot of Army officer accused of murdering woman released

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Identity, mugshot of Army officer accused of murdering woman released

Published: 13 Nov. 2024, 15:19 Updated: 13 Nov. 2024, 18:51

Mugshot of Yang Kwang-jun, 38, Army officer that murdered and mutilated his female colleague [GANGWON PROVINCIAL POLICE AGENCY]

Police revealed the identity of the Army officer who allegedly murdered a female colleague and dismembered her corpse in late October.

According to information released by the Gangwon Provincial Police Agency on Wednesday, the murderer's name is Yang Kwang-jun. Mugshots of Yang were also made public. This is the first time the identity of a suspect with military status has been disclosed since the introduction of the personal information disclosure system in 2010.

The decision to release the 38-year-old Yang’s name, age and mugshot had already been made by police on Nov. 7. Police determined that the case met the criteria for the release: public interest, the brutality of the methods, and the public's right to know.

However, Yang filed an injunction to suspend the disclosure, which the court dismissed. His personal information was made public after a five-day grace period.

Yang was stationed at the Cyber Operations Command in Gwacheon, Gyeonggi. The victim was a civilian contractor working in the same unit as the officer. The two were romantically involved, according to police.

The Army officer who killed a woman, chopped up the body and dumped it into the Bukhan River, Gangwon, exits a warrant review hearing held at Chuncheon District Court on Nov. 5. [PARK JIN-HO]

Yang and the victim argued with each other while carpooling to work on the date of the murder. They argued once more in the car at around 3 p.m. the same day, which was when the officer choked her to death.

Yang was on his last day of duty before his transfer to a subordinate unit in Songpa District, southern Seoul, which was scheduled for Oct. 28. The victim was also approaching the end of her contract at the end of October.

After killing the victim, Yang chopped the body up at a nearby construction site the same day. He then dumped the parts into the Bukhan River in Hwacheon County, Gangwon, the next day.

All of the body parts were found on Nov. 4 after a three-day search that involved 200 police officers, 21 divers, 10 boats, eight search dogs and two drones.

The soldier who killed his coworker is being moved to Gangwon Provincial Police Agency on Nov. 4 for further investigations. [YONHAP]

Police arrested the murderer on Nov. 3 without a warrant inside an underpass connected to Ilwon Station in Seoul's Gangnam District, southern Seoul, a day after the first body parts were found on Saturday.

The officer initially testified that the murder was unplanned and that he lost his temper at the time. Digital forensics into the officer’s phone, however, revealed that the killer searched content related to counterfeiting license plates on the internet at 7:35 a.m. the same day, which was after both the officer and the victim arrived at work.

The forensics into the officer’s phone led the police to suspect that the murder was planned. When pressed by the evidence, the officer said he had intended to kill the victim since performing the internet search.

According to the police on Tuesday, the officer was handed over to the prosecution on charges of murder and mutilating and abandoning a corpse.

BY KIM MIN-YOUNG [[email protected]]