Stolen remains discarded; defendants give conflicting testimonies

(Illustration by Park Ji-young/The Korea Herald)
(Illustration by Park Ji-young/The Korea Herald)

A woman and her boyfriend have been each sentenced to a year in prison for stealing the ashes of the woman's ex-husband, court officials told local media outlets on Sunday.

The appellate division of the Seoul Central District Court upheld an earlier ruling on April 16, which found them guilty of theft and violating Article 161 of the Criminal Act, exploring tombs.

The pair broke into a cemetery in January 2024 to steal the urn carrying the deceased's ashes, along with photo frames and other items. The remains were later discarded by the defendants.

The female defendant commenced a romantic relationship with the male defendant sometime after she broke up with her husband in 2016. The woman had not finalized her divorce, meaning she was still legally married to her ex-husband. This infuriated her boyfriend, who repeatedly pushed her to sever legal ties.

A message sent to the woman from the boyfriend read, "If you can't do something about the family registration, we should die together."

The two later found that the ex-husband had died in September 2016. The deceased's son discovered the urn had been stolen in February 2024 while visiting his father's grave to pay respects.

The defendants initially denied the crime, but the court noted that surveillance footage and on-site inspection proved otherwise. "(The male defendant) displayed extreme jealousy and hostility toward the deceased and coerced (the female defendant) to cut ties. They had substantial motives to steal the remains," the court said.

The defendants eventually admitted to the crimes, but gave conflicting testimonies regarding what they did with the remains. The female defendant said they discarded the remains in a field somewhere, but the male defendant said the urn broke when they were trying to throw the ashes into the Imjin River.


minsikyoon@heraldcorp.com