A 49-year-old man who strangled his girlfriend and kept her naked body in his freezer has been sentenced to prison.

On November 24, the Uijeongbu District Court sentenced Lee, the man who was charged with murdering his 33-year-old girlfriend, to 16 years in prison.

According to the court document, Lee strangled and killed his girlfriend in his apartment on July 20 of this year. The family of the victim reported the woman missing when she did not come back leaving her home saying that she was meeting up with her boyfriend. After 4 days of police investigation, the victim was found inside of Lee's freezer. The police report indicates that the freezer door was sealed with an adhesive, and the victim's body was inside the fridge with no clothes on. 

Six hours after the discovery of the body, Lee was found in a lodge in Gangwon-do Province and confessed, "I hit and killed my girlfriend while we were arguing because I got angry." 

Lee, who had been divorced once before, started dating the victim in May. Neighbors reported that on the day of the murder, Lee and the victim could be heard arguing loudly. 

In the sentencing statement, the court stated, "The nature of the crime is particularly cruel...and the victim's family has been hurt beyond recovery," and sentenced Lee to 16 years. 

SEE ALSO: Impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol says his arrest warrant is illegal and invalid