Jeju Seogwipo police on Monday arrested a Korean man on suspicion of the murder of a Chinese woman, whose body was found deserted in a field on Jejudo Island last week.

A herb picker found the body last Wednesday and the police have investigated the case targeting people who were acquainted with the victim, a 22-year-old Chinese who entered the country on Oct. 7, 2015 and overstayed her visa-free period in order to work.

“Since it has not been long since the victim’s (sojourn) status in Korea turned illegal, we assumed the perpetrator would be someone who already knew her,” the police said.

The arrested suspect, according to the police, “had raised suspicions in terms of his relationship with the deceased.”

He had often met with the victim at the place she worked, and stayed in touch with her through January, shortly before the suspected time of her disappearance.

The suspect fiercely denies the accusations, and searches of his car and house revealed nothing out of the ordinary.

Police will continue to investigate the people who knew the woman and who introduced her to her job.

The young victim was found dead with six wounds to her chest and neck from a sharp object. Although the police are having difficulties discerning the exact time of her death, they estimate that she died no earlier than late January, as the owner of a nearby barley field had sown this year’s seeds in December and January without noticing the body.

By Lim Jeong-yeo (kaylalim@heraldcorp.com)