Police investigating a recent kidnapping and murder of a woman in Seoul have concluded that one of three arrested suspects had first proposed the killing to a couple involved in cryptocurrency disputes with the victim, police said.
The couple, identified as husband Yoo and his wife, Hwang, agreed to the proposal from the key suspect, Lee Kyeong-woo, and paid him a total of 70 million won (US$53,070) for the crime, Seoul's Suseo Police Station said.
On Sunday, police also sought an arrest warrant for Hwang.
Lee has confessed to all charges against him, but Hwang and her husband, Yoo, are categorically denying the charges, officials said.
Lee has been arrested, together with two other accomplices -- Hwang Dae-han and Yeon Ji-ho -- on charges of killing the 48-year-old woman from Seoul's Gangnam district on March 29, and killing her the following day and burying her body on a hill in the central city of Daejeon.
The Suseo Police Station referred the three suspects to the Seoul Central District Prosecutors Office for further investigation and indictment.
As he left the police station around 2 p.m., Lee said: "I'd like to offer my sincere apology to the victim in this case, and I pray for the repose of her soul. I am also really sorry to her family for the irreparable scars this has caused."
Police said Lee first proposed killing the victim and her husband in a meeting with the Yoo-Hwang couple, and the couple paid him 70 million won in return.
The three also discussed stealing cryptocurrency from the victim, police added.
Lee and Hwang, Yoo's wife, have known each other since 2021 through their cryptocurrency investment, with the murdered victim also involved.
After the digital currency fell sharply in February 2021, Lee, the victim and other investors believed Hwang manipulated the token's price. They extorted 190 million won worth of cryptocurrency coins from her.
Lee and the victim were investigated by police for blackmailing Hwang, though only Lee was transferred to the prosecution for further investigation.
Police believe Lee and the Yoo couple reconciled, but the latter and the victim had since been involved in civil suits over the investment.
Source: Yonhap News Agency