The woman who was previously handed over to the courts and indicted for hiding her husband's corpse for seven years and pocketing over 200 million KRW (~ $166,000 USD) of his workplace pension, was ruled innocent on February 3. 

Seoul Central District Court announced during 49-year-old 'A's trial, "Because the time of the husband's death can't be ascertained, it can't be proven that 'A' unlawfully collected benefits and pension." 

'A' had been investigated by the authorities in 2014 for charges of hiding her husband's corpse in the living room of her home in Seoul's Seocho District. When police found the corpse, it was lying on the living room carpet with a blanket over it, dressed in clean clothing. The corpse was so well preserved that authorities suspected it was likely embalmed. 

Police had conjectured that the husband had died back in 2007 at the age of 43; however, 'A' asserted, "My husband wasn't dead but alive." 

SEE ALSO: Woman who kept her husband's corpse for seven years indicted for embezzling

It was investigated that 'A' and her children had greeted and even conversed with the corpse as though nothing was wrong. 

When the case was handed over to prosecution, they did not acknowledge that the body was abandoned but had indicted 'A' for illegally collecting around 200 million KRW of her husband's pension and benefits. 

The judge stated, "The autopsy revealed that the point of the husband's death was sometime before December 26 but the exact date of death wasn't confirmed. There is no evidence to prove without reasonable doubt that the husband really passed away during the period of the unlawful collection [of the funds]. The defendant had the steady stream of income she earned as a pharmacist and if she had reported her husband's death she would have collected a hefty sum in death benefits. Considering these factors, the motive behind the crime is also deficient."