Double homicide suspect arrested in Gangwon

The suspect is accused of murdering two women in their 60s. He reportedly told authorities that after feeling emasculated, he killed the women to prove that he wasn’t weak.

The 57 year-old suspect, who is accused of murdering two women, taken into the Ilsan Seobu Police station on Saturday. The suspect only identified by his family name Lee was caught wandering at a traditional market in Gangwon on Friday. [YONHAP]

The 57-year-old suspect, wanted for two murders, was apprehended by the police on Friday.

The suspect, who was identified by the family name Lee, is accused of murdering two women in their 60s.

One of the victims was killed last month in Goyang, Gyeonggi, while the other was murdered on Friday morning in Yangju, Gyeonggi.

Both women, owners of a Korea-style coffee shop or dabang, were strangled.

According to the Ilsan Seobu Police on Saturday, Lee was arrested while wandering around a traditional market in Gangneung, Gangwon, at 10:44 p.m.

Reportedly, he had taken a taxi and bus to Yangju, where he committed the second murder, after killing his first victim in Goyang, Gyeonggi.

He then traveled to Seoul before heading to Gangwon province.

Upon his arrival at the Ilsan Seobu station at 2 a.m. on Saturday, Lee denied allegations of robbery or sexual assault when questioned by reporters.

According to the police, Lee confessed to the murders, claiming it was to prove that he was not weak.

Lee reportedly told the police that he felt emasculated as a result of the extended period he had spent in prison.

Lee, with five prior convictions, including robbing several dabang run by women working alone and sexual assault, spent a total of 22 years in prison. He was released in November.

BY LEE HO-JEONG [lee.hojeong@joongang.co.kr]