Identity of Jeju retaliatory killing suspect revealed: Kang Seong-eun, 61

Police have released the identity of Kang Seong-eun, 61, the suspect accused of fatally stabbing a woman in her 40s in Jeju in retaliation for reporting him for stalking and sexual violence.

The Jeju Provincial Police Agency disclosed Kang's name, age and mugshot Thursday, after Kang was detained and referred to prosecutors on charges including aggravated retaliatory murder under the Act on the Aggravated Punishment of Specific Crimes, aggravated residential burglary, aggravated unlawful confinement, attempted aggravated unlawful confinement, preparation for arson of an occupied structure, violation of the Act on Punishment of Stalking Crimes, and violation of the Act on Special Cases Concerning the Punishment of Sexual Crimes — specifically, intimidation using recorded material.

The police identity disclosure review committee convened Friday and determined that the severity of the harm and the brutality of the method were established and that sufficient evidence existed to prove the crime. The committee also found that disclosing the suspect's personal information was necessary in the public interest, including the prevention of reoffending and deterrence of crime.

However, because Kang did not submit a confirmation acknowledging the disclosure decision, police observed a grace period from Friday through Wednesday under the relevant law.

Kang's personal information will be posted on the Jeju Provincial Police Agency website for 30 days starting at 10 a.m. Thursday.

Under the Act on Disclosure of Personal Information of Suspects of Specific Serious Crimes, a suspect's information may be made public when the means of the crime were brutal, significant harm resulted, and the suspect's criminal conduct has been sufficiently proven.

Kang is accused of stabbing and killing the woman, identified only as B and a former partner, on a street in front of a hotel in Yeon-dong, Jeju, at 1:38 a.m. on Oct. 12.

Kang also faces charges of placing thinner and a weapon on a staircase landing at the victim's residence before the killing, waiting for B to appear, and then forcibly dragging B to a vehicle parked on the street.

Police added stalking charges after determining that Kang had persistently demanded to meet B even after the two separated in August, and also added charges of intimidation using recorded material dating to March, before referring the case to prosecutors with Kang in detention.