A Korean actress and influencer, Yoon Ji-ah has been k!lled.
She was murd£red by a VIP fan who left her body in a suitcase in the mountains just 30 minutes after a livestream.
Mail Online reported that the influencer who is in her 20s, was brutally assaulted and strangled to de@th on September 11, before her body was found abandoned in Muju, North Jeolla Province.
Investigators believe she d!ed within just 30 minutes after her final livestream ended.
She had been filming in Yeongjong Island, Incheon, around a three-hour drive away from where her body was discovered.
This led authorities to suspect the internet personality, who had over 300,000 followers on TikTok alone, may have encountered danger almost immediately after ending the live broadcast.
According to local reports, the suspect in the murd£r case, which has shocked South Korea, is a man in his 50s, identified only by the surname Choi.
Choi reportedly claimed to be the CEO of an IT company located in South Korea, and it is said he had approached the influencer under the pretense of a business partnership, promising to increase her followers.
The man was believed to be well-known on video platforms and earned the title of a ‘big-spending VIP’ under his nickname ‘Black cat’, reports media outlet Soap Central.
According to local media, the platform where Ji-ah would host her livestreams employed a ranking system for its users, based on their level of monetary support for the creators.
The higher-level ranks required enormous spending, and Choi reportedly reached level 56, which is said to have cost at least £53,000, reports The News.
Korean entertainment outlet Kbizoom claimed that Ji-ah had wanted to terminate her business deal with Choi before the incident.
Just a day before the victim’s death, Choi was seen in CCTV footage kneeling and begging before her, seemingly pleading for something.
Investigators now suspect that his excessive financial involvement and personal circumstances led to the crime, with reports alleging Choi may have been facing massive debt.
Witnesses reported that they saw Choi dragging a large suitcase from his house before stopping eight at multiple locations – the last being in Muju’s mountains.
He was arrested just 12 hours after the discovery of the body. He initially denied the charges upon arrest but eventually confessed to killing the influencer, according to local media.
The influencer’s devastated mother told reporters: ‘The detective said at 3.27pm, the CCTV showed her about to get out of the car, but she was pulled back inside by force. The door then closed.’
Yoon Ji-ah’s cause of de@th was confirmed as asphyxiation due to neck compression.
