35-year-old American citizen named Arthur Patterson, who is suspected to be the real culprit behind the Itaewon homicide case which occurred eighteen years ago, was extradited to Seoul. 

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Patterson was handed over to Korean authorities on Monday and landed at Incheon International Airport this past Tuesday, September 22. 

Patterson was a suspect of the infamous Itaewon Burger King stabbing which occurred in 1997 and resulted in the death of 22-year-old student named Cho Joong Pil. Prosecution originally believed that it was Patterson's Korean American friend Edward Lee who stabbed Cho in his neck and chest nine times and indicted just Lee. 

However, the Supreme Court had dismissed the case upon grounds that there was insufficient evidence and Lee was acquitted of his charge. Authorities were unable to extend Patterson's overseas travel ban at the time, and Patterson managed to flee Korea back in August of 1999. 

The Itaewon murder was then closed and forgotten; that is until the 2009 film 'The Case of the Itaewon Homicide' featuring Song Joong Ki and Jang Geun Suk enflamed the public's attention to the case once again. The outrage of the citizens propelled prosecution to reopen the case, and this time, they suspected Patterson as the real culprit. 

In 2011, Patterson had delayed his extradition by submitting multiple habeas corpus petitions; however, prosecution was succeeded in indicting him for the murder in November of the same year and initiated the extradition process. 

Patterson was transferred to Seoul Detention Center and will be standing trial soon. A Korean lawyer was assigned to defend him, under local law.