A popular South Korean influencer has been murdered, just around half an hour after her last livestream.
The culprit, whose identity was revealed by South Korean media on 3 Oct, is said to be a Chief Executive Officer (CEO) in his 50s.
Choi, who is also known as a big VIP spender on social platforms, confessed to killing Yoon Ji-Ah on 11 Sept at around 3.30pm.
He then drove from Yeongjong Island, Incheon to Muju County, North Jeolla Province, to dump her body in the mountains.
Ms Yoon, who was in her 20s, had a following of more than 345,000 on TikTok.
Her father first became suspicious when she did not respond to a comment he left for her after her livestream.
Seven hours of silence later, he called her one more time only to receive no response.
Source: @z10r2 on Instagram
Concerned about her uncharacteristic silence, he then called the police.
On 13 Sept, her body, which had signs of strangulation and multiple bruises, was discovered in a suitcase on a mountainside in Muju, North Jeolla Province.
Within 12 hours after the discovery, police were able to pinpoint a prime suspect — Mr Choi, a man in his 50s.
They identified him by tracing Ms Yoon’s last known movements caught on security cameras.
While he initially denied the charges, Mr Choi fully admitted to her murder once it was revealed that police had discovered her body.
The tech CEO was reportedly a well-known big spender on the livestream platform.
Known by his nickname “Black Cat”, Mr Choi had allegedly spent around ₩100 million (S$91,500).
Though authorities are investigating the motive of the murder, local reports speculate that it was linked to money.
According to The Chosun Daily, the man was in debt, with his house being repossessed and auctioned off.
Just before the murder, Mr Choi was caught on security cameras begging Ms Yoon while on his knees.
The man had previously approached the influencer with an offer to grow her follower count if she signed an exclusive contract with him.
However, it is believed that she was planning on terminating their contract.
Also read: Influencer from China dies during livestream after his ultralight aircraft crashed
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Featured image adapted from @z10r2 on Instagram and Instagram.