Body found in South Han River believed to be victim in Gangbuk murder case

A body believed to be that of a victim in a murder and corpse-disposal case from northern Seoul has been found in the South Han River in Yangpyeong-gun, about six months after the killing.

According to police and fire authorities, a 119 emergency call came in Tuesday at around 4:49 p.m. reporting that "something resembling a mannequin is floating in the middle of a bridge" in the South Han River in Yangseo-myeon, Yangpyeong-gun, Gyeonggi Province.

Firefighters who responded recovered the body from between the seventh and eighth piers of Yongdam Bridge and handed it over to police.

Police confirmed through identification that the body was that of a man surnamed Lee, in his 30s, who had been killed Jan. 14 at an apartment in Gangbuk-gu, Seoul.

Lee and a man surnamed Seong, 34, had become close after working together as motorcycle delivery couriers and had even moved in together. Seong allegedly strangled Lee to death after Lee asked him to cover motorcycle fuel costs, then disposed of the body at Dumulmeori on the South Han River, according to the investigation.

Police launched an investigation on Jan. 21 — a week after the killing — after a friend reported that Lee could not be reached. Officers subsequently identified Seong as a suspect and arrested him. He is currently standing trial on charges of murder and illegal disposal of a corpse. Police are reviewing whether to transfer the body to Dobong Police Station in Seoul, which handled the original investigation.