Son's '40-minute whereabouts' at stake... "If not revealed, conclusion will be 'no crime involvement'"

Son Jeongmin Missing After 3:38 AM
Mr. A's Whereabouts Also Unaccounted for About 40 Minutes

The spot where A, a friend of Son Jeong-min, was lying down. A police official explained, "He was not lying on the dirt area," adding, "He was lying with his feet stretched toward the Han River and his head toward the grass."
[Photo by Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency]

Following the autopsy results indicating that university student Son Jeong-min (22), who went missing at Seoul's Hangang Park and was later found dead, likely drowned, questions are pouring in about how Son ended up in the Hangang River. The police are focusing their investigative efforts on reconstructing the movements of Son and his friend Mr. A. Experts explain that if the police fail to clarify this, the case will likely be closed with the conclusion that the disappearance was unrelated to any crime.

According to the police on the 14th, a Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency official stated that after investigating six groups totaling nine people who witnessed Son and Mr. A on the day of the disappearance, "There is a witness who saw Mr. A lying down and asleep on the grassy slope around 4:20 a.m., carrying a bag, and woke him up." The witness, who was sober at the time, was looking for their group, found Mr. A, woke him, exchanged a few words, and then left. However, it was confirmed that Son was not seen by this witness. Additionally, the police secured statements from multiple witnesses who saw Son and Mr. A lying together on a mat or vomiting at Hangang Park between 2:00 a.m. and 3:38 a.m. on the day of the disappearance.

Despite multiple witness statements, Son's whereabouts after 3:38 a.m. remain unknown. Son and Mr. A had been drinking at Hangang Park since around 11:00 p.m. on the 24th of last month. During this time, Son exchanged KakaoTalk messages with his mother and posted videos on social media. Apart from the witness account of seeing Mr. A around 4:20 a.m., no new information about his whereabouts has emerged, creating a "40-minute gap." Mr. A returned home around 4:30 a.m. and arrived approximately 20 minutes later. A police official said, "We are concentrating investigative efforts on reconstructing the movements after 3:38 a.m."

Since the National Forensic Service estimated Son's cause of death as drowning, it is expected that the police investigation will clarify how Son fell into the Hangang River, which will help resolve questions surrounding the case. Professor Kwak Dae-kyung of Dongguk University's Department of Police Administration said, "If no additional witnesses or evidence emerge, the police will have no choice but to conclude that Son's disappearance was an accident unrelated to crime. It is crucial to uncover what happened during the last hour, as this is the key to resolving the case's uncertainties."

Professor Lee Ho of Jeonbuk National University's Department of Forensic Medicine explained, "Drowning refers to the cause of death at the time and implies that Son was alive when he entered the water. Whether it was due to being pushed, self-entry, or slipping is a separate matter from the cause of death and concerns the manner of death. This requires a comprehensive judgment by investigative authorities based on various circumstances and evidence."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.