Army Officer Yang Kwang-jun Indicted for Murder After Disposing of Body in North Han River

Yang Kwang-jun (양광준), a 38-year-old active-duty army major, has been indicted while in custody for the murder of a female military civil servant with whom he had a romantic relationship. The incident occurred after he allegedly killed the victim, identified as A (33), and dismembered her body before disposing of it in the North Han River in Hwacheon County, Gangwon Province.

The Chuncheon District Prosecutor's Office's Criminal Division 1, led by Chief Prosecutor Oh Se-moon, announced on November 28 that Yang has been charged with murder and other related offenses.

According to the investigation, the crime took place on October 25 around 3 PM in a parking lot at a military base in Gwacheon, Seoul, where Yang and A engaged in a heated argument that escalated to him strangling her to death. Later that evening, around 9 PM, he is accused of dismembering A's body at a nearby construction site and then disposing of the remains in a plastic bag in the North Han River the following day, October 26. A was a temporary military civil servant who worked at the same base as Yang.

Reports indicate that Yang and A had been in a romantic relationship since June, during which they frequently quarreled over their relationship issues. On the day of the murder, they had been commuting to work together when their argument intensified, leading Yang to commit the crime out of fear that their relationship would be exposed.

After disposing of A's body, Yang reportedly returned to the site to check if the remains had surfaced, indicating a premeditated effort to conceal his crime. He also attempted to cover his tracks by using a fake license plate and sending messages from A's phone to her colleagues, friends, and family.

A spokesperson for the prosecution stated, "We will do our utmost to ensure that the defendant receives a severe sentence commensurate with the crime and will continue to respond rigorously to violent crimes that threaten public safety."