Chinese female college student who vanished before graduation was Jeong Chang-seong’s second target

[Financial News] A Chinese national, Jeong Chang-seong (31), who is standing trial on charges of murdering a Chinese female international student ahead of her university graduation and mutilating her body, reportedly disguised himself as the victim and even filed a false missing-person report with police the day after the crime. The details of the crime and the investigation were revealed on a broadcast.
A crime analysis program on MBC, “Hidden Eye,” which aired on the 9th, covered the circumstances of Jeong Chang-seong’s crime and the investigation that led police to identify him as a suspect.
The case came to light after police received a report that A, a Chinese female international student who was about to graduate from a university in Gyeongsan, Gyeongsangbuk-do, had gone missing.
CCTV footage released by police at the time showed a person dressed in women’s clothing pulling a suitcase, getting into a taxi and traveling to Dongdaegu Station. The person entered a restroom inside the station and was not seen again.
However, the person captured on CCTV was Jeong Chang-seong, not A. Investigators determined that he had put on women’s clothing and acted as though he were the victim the day after the crime.
Jeong Chang-seong reportedly even made a false missing-person report to police, saying that A had gone out shopping and then stopped responding to calls.
During the investigation, police also obtained CCTV footage showing a man walking through an alley carrying a plastic bag. Some of A’s remains and the weapon used in the crime were later found in the bag.
Police searched Jeong Chang-seong’s residence and found A’s severely mutilated body.
During questioning, Jeong Chang-seong claimed that he committed the crime because A threatened to reveal his secret to others. However, the victim’s family and friends gave accounts that differed from his statement.
In September 2023, Jeong Chang-seong reportedly expressed romantic interest in another Chinese woman, B, who was enrolled in a master’s program in the same department, less than a week after they met.
Although B rejected his advances, Jeong Chang-seong continued contacting her, suggesting that they have a meal together or offering to give her gifts.
When B continued to make clear that she was not interested, Jeong Chang-seong reportedly pressured her by conveying a message through another international student: “I can delay your graduation or prevent you from graduating.”
B and other Chinese international students eventually reported Jeong Chang-seong to the university’s international office in October of that year. After receiving the report, the university gave Jeong Chang-seong a verbal warning.
At a hearing held on the 2nd, Jeong Chang-seong admitted all the allegations in the indictment relating to five charges, including murder and the mutilation, abandonment and concealment of a body.
However, he argued that the crime was spontaneous rather than premeditated, saying he had not prepared the weapon in advance.
The victim’s family is calling for Jeong Chang-seong to be sent back to China, where he could face the death penalty, to be punished.


[email protected] Han Seung-gon Reporter