South Korean police launched an investigation and unveiled further case details on Wednesday, one day after announcing the arrest of a Chinese man, in his 30s, on suspicion of murdering a Chinese female graduate student, who was found dead in Gyeongsan, North Gyeongsang Province.

According to South Korean police, the suspect was apprehended on a street in Gyeongsan on Tuesday, and the deceased victim was found inside the suspect's residence, Yonhap News Agency reported on Wednesday.

The news agency added that the Gyeongsan Police Station of North Gyeongsang Province began interrogating the suspect at around 9 am Wednesday and would apply to the court for an arrest warrant based on investigation findings.

South Korean media reports identify the suspect as a lecturer at the university the victim attended, adding that the two were acquaintances. SBS News said local police are probing the ties between the suspect and the victim, along with the motive and circumstances of the offence.

According to previous reports, the victim, who entered South Korea on August 14 to pick up her graduate school diploma, lost contact with her family on the evening of August 20.

Citing South Korean police, local media have revealed further details. Yonhap reported that the suspect was seen in surveillance footage entering his residence with the victim at around 2 pm on August 20. Later, he was seen leaving the premises dressed as a woman and wearing a hat, heading to Dongdaegu Station and changing clothes at a nearby restroom before returning home.

South Korean media noted that the missing person report for the victim was filed by the suspect himself. He told police he was the victim's boyfriend and reported her missing. Yet investigators grew suspicious of him after spotting contradictions in his account when he was initially interviewed as a witness, according to The Korea Times.

Local police found evidence that the suspect mutilated and abandoned parts of the body, adding that they planned to conduct an autopsy to determine the exact cause and time of death. Afterward, they planned to transfer the body to the victim's family, per the Yonhap report.

On Tuesday, the Chinese Consulate General in Busan urged South Korean police to launch a thorough investigation immediately and punish the perpetrator in accordance with the law.

A staff member from China's Consulate General in Busan told the Global Times on Wednesday that the case is still under investigation and information will be released in due course based on its progress.

The staff member said that the victim's family turned to the consulate general for help after she went missing. Guided and assisted by the consulate general, the family filed a report with local South Korean police, while the consulate general immediately activated its emergency response mechanism.

The consulate general has maintained close communication with local South Korean police and the victim's family, and is extending necessary consular protection and assistance to the family, according to the staff member.

The case has sparked widespread attention and fierce discussion on social media platforms. Many netizens expressed grief and shock over the incident. Some have called for the suspect's extradition to China for trial, noting that South Korea has not carried out death‑penalty executions for serious crimes in nearly three decades.

A netizen shared a long post on Xiaohongshu claiming the suspect had harassed other female students in 2023. The user said some Chinese female students at that time had reported the suspect's verbal abuse, harassment and graduation‑related threats to the university. However, the university did not terminate his teaching position as a result.

"May the victim rest in peace. The perpetrator must be brought to severe justice!" wrote a Weibo user.