Marketing Director Busted for Plotting to Kill Boss

A marketing director at a steel distribution company in southern Seoul was arrested yesterday on the charge of plotting to murder his boss and embezzlement.

The Suseo Police Station said the suspect “Kim” from January stole 440 million won (341,000 U.S. dollars) worth of steel from his company and used fake tax invoices to cover up his crime.

When raw materials ran short, the company owner grew suspicious of Kim and caught him after conducting an internal audit in August.

After he was found out, Kim schemed with three acquaintances to kill the owner.

According to the police, Kim told the three he would offer 500 million won (387,600 dollars) as prepayment and promised an additional one billion won (775,193 dollars) for the hit when they met at a tollgate in Hwaseong County, Gyeonggi Province. They drew up a detailed plan including the murder method and the burial site, according to police.

Their plan went awry, however, and a tip to police led to Kim’s arrest.

“Kim seems to have stolen company materials to repay 50 million won (38,760 dollars) dollars) worth of debt from Internet gambling, stock investments and frequent drinking,” a police officer said.

The suspect even planned to take over the company after murdering the owner, the officer added.

niceshin@donga.com