Police: "No data usage records on Son Jeong-min's phone after 1 AM... Messages and calls are managed separately"

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Jung-yoon] The police investigating the case of university student Son Jeong-min (22), who went missing and was found dead at Seoul Hangang Park, revealed that there was no trace of internet or data usage on Son's mobile phone from around 1 a.m. on the day he went missing.

However, online claims have emerged that Son exchanged KakaoTalk messages and made phone calls with his mother after that time, which the police allegedly omitted. In response, the police explained that separate from data usage, records of KakaoTalk messages and calls after that time still remain.

The Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency stated on the 24th, "Call, text, messenger, and transmission records are managed separately from internet application (app) usage records. It was confirmed that the last KakaoTalk message was sent by Son to his mother at around 1:24 a.m. on the 25th of last month, and the last call was made to a Coupang Eats rider at around 1:33 a.m. on the same day."

Earlier at a press briefing held that day, a Seoul police official said, "Forensic results confirmed that after the last web search at 1:09 a.m. on the 25th of last month, there was no internet or app usage." He added, "The telecom company also responded that data call records can occur due to automatic synchronization or background app execution when the phone is not in use." Following the police announcement, online users argued that the police's explanation of no data usage was incorrect, citing that Son sent a KakaoTalk message to his mother at 1:24 a.m. and made a call to a Coupang Eats rider at 1:33 a.m. on the day he went missing.

Meanwhile, some have raised suspicions based on the phone's data usage records that Mr. A continuously used the phone until just before returning it. Son's father, Son Hyun (50), disclosed Son's phone data usage records from the 25th of last month on his personal blog on the 18th.

On the other hand, the police plan to conduct a search by roughly estimating the location of Mr. A's phone, which remains missing. On the day Son went missing, Mr. A was seen holding Son's phone when meeting with Son's family. However, Mr. A's phone was not found on Son, who was discovered at the Hangang.

A police official explained, "Analyzing location data after Mr. A's call with his mother at 3:37 a.m. on the 25th of last month, it was confirmed that from then until the phone was turned off at 7:02 a.m., he remained around Hangang Park." He added, "Therefore, it is reasonable to conduct a search around the Hangang area to find Mr. A's phone." He also noted, "The last time Mr. A was in possession of Son's phone appears to be around 5:40 a.m. on the day of the disappearance, as that is when it was returned to Son's mother."

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