A South Korean highway patrol caught the man before dawn on a high concrete bridge linking the coast west of Seoul and Youngjong Island, where Incheon International Airport is located.

"They first believed he was throwing away garbage and stopped him. The man drove on, stopped and then threw off the bag," said Chang Sang-hwan, a South Korean police investigator. The bag landed in the muddy salt water below.

"In the bag, we found the body of a white woman," Chang said.

Chang identified the man as a U.S. military officer based in the Yongsan Garrison in central Seoul, the headquarters of the U.S. military in South Korea.

The man was in civilian clothes and driving his car, Chang said. The victim appeared to be in her 30s or 40s. No large injuries were visible, Chang said. No further details were available pending an investigation.

The U.S. military confirmed that an Army officer was being held by South Korean police, and that U.S. military officials were investigating the case with local police.

"The U.S. military is cooperating fully with the Korean National Police in this matter," the U.S. military said a statement.

About 37,000 U.S. troops are based in South Korea, a legacy of the 1950-53 Korean War.

(China Daily   August 12, 2003)