U.S. General Apologizes in South Korea Slaying

SEOUL — An American general apologized Saturday for the killing of a South Korean prostitute by a U.S. soldier, but his contrition failed to sway 100 South Koreans who protested in front of a U.S. base outside the capital.

Pvt. Eric Munnich, 22, of Chicago has confessed to strangling and slashing the throat of Lee Ki-sun in a Sept. 7 dispute over the price of her services, the U.S. military said. On Saturday, Gen. John H. Tilelli Jr., commander in chief of the U.S. military in South Korea, called the killing “tragic and senseless” and expressed his regret, the U.S. military command here said.