Friend of Son Jeong-min who broke the silence: "I was drunk and don't remember clearly... Will actively cooperate with police investigation"

Explanation of Mr. A's Situation by Time Zone
"Only Some Fragmentary Memories"
Also Clarification on Hiring a Lawyer

On the 16th, when it rained nationwide, police officers were searching the mobile phone of the late Son Jeong-min's friend near the water taxi dock at Banpo Hangang Park in Seoul. / Photo by Moon Ho-nam munonam@

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Jung-yoon] Regarding the case of university student Son Jeong-min (22), who went missing and was found dead at Seoul Hangang Park, the friend A, who was with him, has released a statement addressing various suspicions. A’s lawyer explained that he was intoxicated and does not clearly remember the situation at the time but is actively cooperating with the police investigation.

On the morning of the 17th, Jeong Byeong-won, a lawyer from the law firm One & Partners representing A, explained the facts as remembered by A and his family in a statement. A’s side stated, "What A remembers at the time are only some fragmented impressions, such as feeling himself lying on his side, holding onto a tree with his hand, and trying to wake the deceased. He does not clearly remember the chronological order," adding, "A was so drunk that he does not remember what kind of alcohol or how much he drank."

A remembers purchasing two bottles of Cheongju and two bottles of soju, but upon verifying the actual purchase records, it was confirmed that he bought one bottle of 360ml soju with 16.9% alcohol content, one bottle of 360ml soju with 20.1% alcohol content, two bottles of 300ml Cheongju, two bottles of 640ml soju, and three bottles of 750ml Makgeolli.

A’s side clarified the situation by time. They said, "At around 3:37 a.m. on the day of the disappearance, A called his mother, but his father answered and spoke for 1 minute and 57 seconds. A does not remember this at all," adding, "At that time, the father found A’s speech difficult to understand and the conversation was not smooth. A said something to the effect that the deceased was too drunk to wake up, and told his father to ‘wake the friend up properly and send him home, and you should quickly take a taxi and come back,’ then ended the call."

Later, at around 4:15 a.m., a fire alarm was reported at A’s apartment, waking A’s parents. However, since A had not returned home by then, A’s mother called A’s phone at around 4:27 a.m., but it was turned off.

A’s side stated, "A passed through the rabbit hole at around 4:30 a.m. and took a taxi home, but he was still intoxicated upon returning and does not clearly remember the details," adding, "A’s father asked him how much he drank when he came home and was about to sleep, but seeing that A was too drunk to answer properly, he checked whether A had returned home out of concern for the deceased who had been with him."

They also said, "When A answered that he did not know well, feeling it was awkward to contact the deceased’s house in the early morning, he decided to go to Hangang Park to check personally," adding, "He thought it would not be difficult to find Son if he was lying down there, but he did not see him." Afterwards, thinking that Son might have gone home, A’s father called his wife to ask if Son had returned home.

Later, Son’s mother came to Hangang Park, and A handed over Son’s phone that he had. A’s side said, "Son’s mother sent a text message to A’s mother saying, ‘The police report has been filed. Now that we have come out, please go home,’ so A and his family returned home," adding, "Even after arriving home, A was still heavily intoxicated, vomiting in the parking lot, and then fell asleep, waking up in the afternoon."

Regarding the reason for hiring a lawyer, they said, "A was first investigated at Seocho Police Station on the 26th of last month. He cooperated sincerely with the police investigation and tried to recall and testify as much as possible, but there were many parts he could not remember due to heavy intoxication," adding, "After discussing ways to psychologically stabilize A, prevent impulsive actions due to guilt, and protect him safely, and after the death was confirmed and the case expanded to a suspicious death investigation, he has been continuously protected."

A’s side stated about the police investigation, "A and his parents responded to all inquiries with the determination to cooperate with the police investigation as much as possible." According to A’s side, A underwent three witness interviews and two hypnosis sessions. A profiler investigation was also conducted once. A’s father and mother were interviewed as witnesses twice and once, respectively. Additionally, on the 4th of this month, A’s clothing, laptop, bag, and A’s mother’s car black box, among other requested materials, were voluntarily submitted, and a house search was conducted.

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