A South Korean court on Friday handed down a death sentence to a Chinese national who was found guilty of murdering a young woman and dismembering her body in a grotesque case that shocked the nation.

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The court in the southern city of Suwon ruled that Wu Yuanchun, a 42-year-old immigrant worker, deserved the death penalty for his "ruthless and inhumane" crime and his lack of remorse.

The dismembered body of the 28-year-old woman was found on April 2 in the city of Suwon, south of Seoul, about 13 hours after she had called the police emergency number from her home to report a rape attempt.

The case sparked public anger as officers were found to have bungled their initial response to an emergency phone call from the victim.

The phone line remained open for a total of eight minutes, with the victim heard screaming in pain and begging for her life.

Wu, of Korean ancestry, carved out 365 pieces of her flesh after killing the woman, putting the victim's body parts into trash bags near his home in Suwon.

Police admitted miscommunication between the emergency call centre and officers on duty as well as bureaucratic shortcomings, which led them to search the wrong area for hours.

The country's police chief later resigned, taking responsibility.

Source: AFP