RUIBAO WORLD | AUGUST 26, 2026

South Korean police found the body of a 25-year-old Chinese graduate student at a home in Gyeongsan, North Gyeongsang Province, on August 25 and arrested a Chinese man in his 30s on suspicion of murder. The suspect, surnamed Jeong, had taught at the victim's university and was the first person to report her missing.

The woman studied rehabilitation therapy at a graduate school in Gyeongsan. She had secured a job in China and returned to South Korea on August 14 to collect a certificate before going home. Her family last heard from her through social media early on August 20.

Photograph of the Chinese graduate student, with her face blurred
A photograph of the student used in an online missing-person appeal. Her face was blurred by the publisher. Image: family social media post, published by Red Star News.
Gyeongsan Station in North Gyeongsang Province, South Korea
Gyeongsan Station in North Gyeongsang Province. The case occurred in the city's Hayang district. File photo: 엔샷 / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0.

Security footage showed the woman entering Jeong's home with him at about 2 a.m. on August 20, according to Gyeongsan police. The footage did not show her being pulled or forced inside. At about 10:30 that night, Jeong was recorded leaving in women's clothing and a hat, travelling to Dongdaegu Station, changing into men's clothes in a nearby restroom and returning home.

Investigators found that the woman's phone had been switched off during that period. Jeong reported her missing at about 7:05 p.m. on August 21, described himself as her boyfriend and said she had disappeared after going to Daegu. Police became suspicious while checking his account against phone and camera records. They arrested him on a Gyeongsan street at 7:29 p.m. on August 25 and found the body at his home in Hayang.

Police said on August 26 that they suspected parts of the body had been damaged and discarded, and officers were searching local incineration facilities and other sites. The allegation remains under investigation. An autopsy was pending to establish the cause and time of death. Police were also examining the source of the clothes Jeong wore and considering an additional obstruction charge.

The university said Jeong had taught rehabilitation therapy and neuroanatomy courses during the first half of the year and had been scheduled to teach again in the next semester. He knew the victim, but police have not confirmed the relationship he claimed when filing the report. No motive has been established. Jeong did not answer reporters' questions when taken to Gyeongsan Police Station, and police said they would seek a detention warrant by the morning of August 27.

The Chinese Consulate General in Busan said it had confirmed the death and arrest with South Korean police. It asked for a full investigation and lawful handling of the case, and said it was assisting the family. Police have notified one of the victim's relatives in South Korea and plan to release the body to the family after the autopsy.

Sources: Gyeongsan Police Station, Yonhap News Agency, Korean Broadcasting System, Chinese Consulate General in Busan, and Red Star News. Information current as of August 26, 2026.