Ex-Boyfriend of Missing Cheongju Woman Arrested as Murder Suspect... 'Charged with Fatal Assault'

[Financial News] Police have arrested the ex-boyfriend as a murder suspect in connection with the case of a woman in her 50s who went missing on her way home from work in Cheongju.
On the 26th, the Chungbuk Provincial Police Agency announced, "At approximately 11:47 a.m. today, Mr. A, a man in his 50s, was urgently arrested on charges of fatal assault in the parking lot of a restaurant in Jincheon County." It has been 43 days since his former partner, Ms. B, went missing.
Authorities believe Mr. A killed Ms. B and are transporting him for questioning regarding whether he met her on the day she disappeared, which was the 14th of last month.
A police official stated, "We found substantial evidence suggesting that Mr. A murdered Ms. B, which led to his emergency arrest," and added, "We are pressing him to determine whether he actually committed the murder."
The official continued, "It is still unclear how the crime was committed," and explained, "For now, we have applied the lowest charge of fatal assault for the arrest, but the charges may change depending on the results of further investigation."
Police suspect that Mr. A may have disposed of Ms. B’s body and her vehicle in the area around Okseong Reservoir (formerly Oksan Reservoir) in Jincheon County. At 3:26 p.m. that day, they requested an underwater search from the fire authorities.
Based on evidence that Ms. B’s Sport Utility Vehicle (SUV) entered and exited the area near Okseong Reservoir twice on the day she disappeared, authorities believe it is highly likely that both her body and vehicle are located there. The search team withdrew at dusk without any significant results but plans to resume the search on the 27th.
Previously, on the 14th of last month at around 6:10 p.m., Ms. B was last seen on Closed-Circuit Television (CCTV) leaving her workplace in Oksan-myeon, Cheongju, driving her SUV. She has been missing since then.
Police have been investigating the case as a possible homicide, noting that Mr. A and Ms. B had several disputes over romantic issues even after their breakup.
bng@fnnews.com Kim Hee-sun Reporter