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Police identify suspect in South Korea’s infamous cold case ‘Hwaseong murders’
- Between 1986 and 1991, 10 women were raped and killed in Hwaseong County but despite a vast investigation, the culprit was never found
- The case inspired the 2003 film ‘Memories of Murder’, directed by Bong Joon-ho and starring actor Song Kang-ho
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A man in his 50s, already in prison for raping and killing his sister-in-law, has been identified as the prime suspect in South Korea’s most infamous cold case, police said on Thursday.
The serial rapes and murders, known as the “Hwaseong murders”, took place between 1986 and 1991, when 10 women were raped and killed in Hwaseong County, some 43km south of Seoul.
The eighth victim was later found to have been targeted by a copycat killer who was arrested and charged.
“We’ve found a suspect whose DNA matches those extracted from three cases [of the serial murders]”, said Ban Ki-soo, a senior police officer. “Even if the statute of limitation expired in 2006, we will continue our efforts to reveal the whole truth.”
Police believe the nine unsolved murders were committed by a serial killer, due to the consistent modus operandi.
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