Man hides father's corpse in kimchi freezer to help in inheritance dispute with stepmother

A man in his 40s hid the death of his elderly father by hiding the corpse in a kimchi freezer for over a year to gain the upper hand in an inheritance dispute with his stepmother.

Logo of the Korean police [NEWS1]

A man in his 40s hid the death of his elderly father by hiding the corpse in a kimchi freezer for over a year to gain the upper hand in an inheritance dispute with his stepmother.

The dead father, who was in his 70s, was belatedly reported missing by a relative last month, a year after his death. Once the police investigation intensified, the son reportedly decided to surrender on Friday after consulting with his wife.

The father had filed for divorce and a property division lawsuit worth billions of won against his spouse — his son’s stepmother — in July 2022. The Supreme Court delivered a final ruling on the case in April of this year.

The Supreme Court explained that they had no way of knowing the father’s condition, saying that "as long as the representatives of both parties are properly appointed, the court does not have the authority to check on the parties' status, including whether they are alive."

The father is believed to have died in September last year, while the divorce case was still in the appeals stage. During this time, it was his son who continued to handle the legal proceedings.

Under civil law, if one party dies during a divorce and property division lawsuit, the case is terminated because there is no provision allowing someone else to continue the lawsuit on behalf of the deceased. In such cases, the surviving spouse has the right to inheritance according to the relevant laws.

If the father’s death were to be revealed, the divorce and property division case with the stepmother would have also been terminated, granting the stepmother the right to inherit her designated share of not only the contested assets but also other properties owned by the father.

The father's real estate holdings reportedly include the house the son is currently living in.

When the stepmother asked to meet her husband, the son sent text messages pretending that his father was still alive and repeatedly made and canceled appointments. The lawyer who represented the father in the divorce case also reported that the son made various excuses to prevent access to his father.

The son is now being investigated without detention on charges of concealing a corpse.

According to the National Forensic Service, no fatal external wound was found on the body. The heart showed signs of severe calcification, making cardiac arrest the likely cause of death.

BY KIM MIN-YOUNG [kim.minyoung5@joongang.co.kr]