The identity of a man in his 40s suspected of killing an airline captain in Busan has been released.
The Busan Metropolitan Police Agency said it convened a committee of seven, including outside experts, on the afternoon of the 24th to review disclosure of personal information and posted the name, age, and photo of the detained suspect, Kim Dong-hwan, 49, on the Korean National Police Agency website.
Police said the committee decided to release the personal information because all legal requirements were met, including the brutality of the crime and the occurrence of significant damage, sufficient evidence secured, and the public interest. The information will be posted until April 23.
Kim Dong-hwan is accused of stabbing to death A, an airline captain who was a former coworker, with a weapon at an apartment in Busanjin District, Busan, at about 5:30 a.m. on the 17th.
On the 16th, the day before the killing, he allegedly attempted to kill another coworker, Captain B, in Ilsan, Gyeonggi, but failed. Immediately after killing A, he went to the home of former coworker C in Changwon, South Gyeongsang, to commit an additional crime but failed.
It was found that Kim Dong-hwan had tailed his targets for months to learn their movements in preparation for the crime. In particular, he disguised himself as a delivery driver to pinpoint the victims' residences and scouted the crime scenes in advance.
A recent Psychopathy Checklist–Revised (PCL-R) assessment showed that Kim Dong-hwan does not meet the threshold for a psychopath.
Kim Dong-hwan fled to Ulsan immediately after the crime and was apprehended by police 14 hours after the manhunt began; he was taken into custody on the 20th. Police plan to refer Kim Dong-hwan to prosecutors on the 26th.