Police seek arrest warrant for Vietnamese student who killed compatriot over gambling debts

Police have applied for an arrest warrant for a Vietnamese national who allegedly killed a fellow international student in Busan after falling into gambling addiction.

The Busan Jung-gu Police Station said Friday it had applied for an arrest warrant for A, a Vietnamese man in his 20s studying in Busan, on charges of robbery and murder.

A is accused of breaking into the home of B, a Vietnamese woman in her 20s, in Jung-gu, Busan, at around 1:15 a.m. Wednesday. He allegedly threatened her with a knife, bound her mouth and hands with tape, and stole cash before strangling her to death.

The two had known each other as students at a university in Busan. A was arrested the same day at a hospital in Sasang-gu, Busan, and told police he committed the crime because of gambling debts.

"We plan to investigate the specific circumstances of the crime, including the credibility of his statement," a police official said.