9 Apr 2012

South Korea police boss resigns over bungled murder case

8:22 pm on 9 April 2012

South Korea's national police chief is to quit following a public outcry over the case of a woman who was raped and murdered despite making a frantic phone call to police.

Cho Hyun-Oh says he takes full responsibility for what he calls the horrendous result caused by the carelessness of his force.

The woman made a seven minute call to police, giving a detailed account of where she lived.

However, it was 13 hours before police found her, by which time she had been killed and dismembered.

Police had spent hours searching the wrong area, the BBC reports, despite the victim being just a few minutes drive from the nearest station.

A suspect has been arrested. The man was reportedly disposing of the woman's body when he was found.