THE mystery of the body in the suitcase deepened last night after detectives revealed that the victim was a young Korean women.

The remains of Hyo Jung Jin, 21, a student of French at the University of Lyon, were found dumped in a North Yorkshire hedgerow seven weeks ago.

And last night, Scotland Yard announced that it was liaising with North Yorkshire Police over another young Korean woman who has disappeared in London.

Hyo Jung Jin's body was discovered by a passer-by just outside the village of Askham Richard, near York, on November 19. She had been due to visit London last October, and 12 officers from North Yorkshire are now working with their Metropolitan Police counterparts.

Detective Chief Superintendent Ian Lynch said concerns were first raised after Hyo Jung Jin failed to return to university in late October.

Fellow students informed her family in the Far East and they in turn contacted the Korean Embassy in Paris.

At the same time, her concerned brother posted details about her on a website and appealed for information.

The entry was spotted by a South Korean police officer studying at Leeds University. He contacted the Korean community in London, and detectives were warned of a possible link to the suitcase body.

All citizens of South Korea are required to have their fingerprints and photograph registered with the authorities when they turn 18, and these were passed to North Yorkshire Police by the Korean Embassy on January 2.

Mr Lynch said: "This is a significant development. Anyone who saw her in London or knows about her movements should contact us immediately.

"We do not know her reasons for wanting to visit London, if it was to see friends or as a tourist.

"Her body was discovered on the outskirts of York. We now need to know how her body arrived there."

Hyo Jung Jin's body was bound and gagged with distinctive tape, designed by London artists Gilbert and George and exclusively available in the country's four Tate Galleries.

She is understood to have come from a respectable family in the Junju-Si region of South Korea. Her parents are due to travel to the UK to aid the murder inquiry.

Last night, it was revealed that another Korean woman, In Hea Song, 22, from Poplar, east London, who is studying at Guildhall University, was reported missing by a friend on Tuesday.

Scotland Yard said: ''Although there is no evidence to link the two incidents at this stage, we are keeping an open mind."