A partially-blurred image shows the scene where a man murdered his partner 16 years ago and hid the body in a one-room apartment in Geoje City, South Gyeongsang Province. Courtesy of Geoje Police Station

A shocking cold case has been solved after 16 years, leading to the arrest of a man in his 50s who murdered his live-in girlfriend and encased her body in cement on their apartment balcony.

The crime, which had nearly gone unnoticed as a long-term missing person case, resurfaced when a homeowner's leak repair inadvertently uncovered the concealed remains.

Police in the southeastern city of Geoje said Monday that they arrested the man who is accused of murdering his girlfriend B (then in her 30s) during an argument in October 2008.

The incident occurred in a rooftop studio apartment in Geoje, where the man struck the woman on the head and face with a blunt object, resulting in her death. To conceal the crime, the man placed the woman's body in a travel suitcase, moved it to an outdoor balcony adjacent to the studio, and encased it in cement and bricks.

The woman, who had minimal contact with her family, was not reported missing until 2011. When the police began investigating, they initially suspected the boyfriend, the last person known to be with her.

However, the man claimed that they had broken up, and with no physical evidence or leads, the case went cold. It was classified as a missing person case, with possibilities of death or fleeing abroad being considered.

The crime came to light last month when a construction worker, tasked with repairing a leak on the rooftop balcony, broke through the concrete and discovered the suitcase containing the woman's remains.

The body, which had been partially preserved due to the sealed environment, was identified through fingerprint analysis. An autopsy revealed that she died from blunt force trauma to the head.

Following the discovery, police quickly zeroed in on the boyfriend as the prime suspect and arrested him on Sept. 19 in southeastern city of Yangsan, where he had been living.

During questioning, the boyfriend confessed to the crime, saying that he killed the woman during a heated argument over a romantic issue. He also admitted to disposing of her mobile phone and the murder weapon in the sea near Geoje.

The investigation revealed additional details about why the crime remained hidden for so long. In 2008, shortly after the woman went missing, her family visited Geoje but were unable to meet the boyfriend, who had informed the landlord that the woman left after an argument.

The man continued living in the apartment for another eight years until 2017 when he moved out after being imprisoned on drug charges. The landlord, unable to dispose of the man's belongings, left the apartment unoccupied until 2020 when a court-ordered eviction was finally processed.

A police officer said, "The landlord, who lived elsewhere, used the room as a storage space. The concrete structure was located on a balcony separate from the rooftop room, making it difficult to notice from inside the room."

Police initially considered charging the man with concealing a corpse, but the statute of limitations had expired. They are now investigating additional crimes related to his drug use and will forward the case to prosecutors once the investigation is complete.

This article from the Hankook Ilbo, a sister publication of The Korea Times, is translated by a generative AI and edited by The Korea Times.