A 52-year-old man suspected of theft and rape in multiple cases in Gwangju and Daejeon has been arrested after a 15-year search, in light of new DNA evidence.

The man surnamed Kim is accused of breaking and entering into seven homes of women living alone, stealing their expensive goods and sexually assaulting them from July 2003 to November 2006.

During police questioning, Kim reportedly admitted to sexually assaulting three more victims in Daejeon.

He is being accused of burglary and rape. Under South Korea’s Criminal Act Article 339, a person who commits rape in the course of robbery shall be subject to at least a 10-year jail term, up to life imprisonment.

Authorities said they had initially failed to identify Kim as the lead suspect tied to the incidents because fingerprints left at the scene did not match anyone in their database. The cases had remained unsolved over a decade until the recent arrest of a man for sexual harassment led to a DNA match.

The statute of limitations with regards to the securing of DNA evidence was extended from 15 to 25 years in 2010.

By Catherine Chung (cec82@heraldcorp.com)