Police on Friday found the body of a 5-year-old missing girl on a hillside in the western coastal city of Gunsan following her father's confession to killing her, officials said.

The Jeonbuk Provincial Police Agency said that the body of Koh Jun-hee was wrapped in a towel under a tree on the hillside, about a 50-minute drive from where she stayed before going missing a little over three weeks ago.

The investigation into the case gained traction as her 36-year-old father confessed to having disposed of her body on a hill in the city 274 kilometers south of Seoul. On Dec. 8, her father reported to the police that she went missing without revealing his crime.

Police plan to examine her body to find out the exact cause of her death, officials said. (Yonhap)

Kim Young-geun, a provincial police official, speaks to the press after the body of a missing girl was found on a hillside in the western coastal city of Gunsan on Dec. 29, 2017. (Yonhap)

저작권자 © The Korea Post 무단전재 및 재배포 금지