Son Jeongmin's Friend's First Statement: "Shoes Were Old, Worn Out, and Covered in Vomit"

Statement Released on the Morning of the 17th... First Public Statement
"Not Hiding the Truth, Just Unaware"
"Cannot Remember Changing Phone Due to Intoxication"
"No 'Prominent Figures' in Family... Mother is a Housewife"

On the 11th, items commemorating the late Son Jeong-min were placed near the water taxi dock at Banpo Hangang Park, Seocho-gu, Seoul. Photo by Kang Jin-hyung aymsdream@

[Asia Economy Reporter Yoo Byung-don] The friend A, who has been embroiled in various suspicions regarding the case of university student Son Jeong-min (22), who went missing and was found dead at Seoul Hangang Park, has expressed their position for the first time. A’s side actively explained the circumstances under which the shoes were discarded and the reasons for not making any statements until now.

On the 17th, Jeong Byeong-won, a lawyer from the law firm One & Partners representing A, stated in a press release, “The shoes A was wearing on the day of the disappearance were worn out, with the soles worn through and covered in vomit, so on the 26th, A’s mother threw them away along with other trash she had collected.” He added, “At that time, A’s mother was not fully aware of the seriousness of the situation and had not been told to keep the shoes, so she did not pay much attention to it.”

Earlier, Son’s father, Son Hyeon (50), raised multiple questions about the suspicious disposal of A’s shoes by A’s family. When Son Hyeon asked A about the accident’s circumstances, A reportedly said, “My friend fell on the hill and groaned, and while pulling my friend up, my clothes and shoes got dirty.”

Son Hyeon found it strange that A specifically mentioned his shoes getting dirty when asked about his son’s disappearance and thought it might help locate the exact place of disappearance. He contacted A’s father to inquire about the whereabouts of the shoes. Son Hyeon claimed, “A’s father replied ‘I threw them away’ in 0.5 seconds. Usually, one would say ‘Come and check’ or ‘I will ask my wife,’ but the immediate answer was suspicious.”

Regarding why A’s side had not previously made a specific statement about the details, they dismissed it by saying, “A and A’s family did not hide the truth but genuinely did not know the details.”

A’s side explained, “Because A had a blackout due to heavy intoxication, he barely remembers anything, making it difficult to provide specific answers,” and added, “They were anxiously waiting for objective evidence such as witness testimonies and CCTV footage to be secured as much as possible.” They further stated, “Despite having experienced memory loss several times due to heavy intoxication in the past, there had never been any accidents or disputes. In this case as well, there were no signs of any unfortunate incidents on A’s body, clothing, belongings, or in phone conversations with family at the time, so we naturally believe that A did not cause the accident.”

Regarding the fact that A was in possession of the deceased Jeong-min’s cellphone, they explained, “A does not remember at all why he had the deceased’s phone nor does he recall using it,” and “The only person who knew that A had someone else’s phone was A’s mother.”

A’s side claimed, “After A returned home, his mother picked up a jumper that A had carelessly thrown aside and felt weight in the pocket. When she took it out, she realized that A had brought a phone that was not his own,” and “When she asked A what happened, he only said he didn’t know, and so A’s mother thought the phone might belong to the deceased.”

Additionally, regarding suspicions that there is a so-called ‘influential person’ among A’s family, they stated, “There is absolutely no influential person belonging to investigative agencies, the legal profession, media, or political and financial circles among the family or relatives,” and drew a clear line by saying, “A’s father’s occupation is far from being an influential person, and the mother has been a full-time housewife since marriage.”

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