Son Jeong-min's Father Responds to 'Insufficient Police Investigation' Statement; Police Immediately Clarify: "Doing Our Best to Reveal the Truth"

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Jung-yoon] The police investigating the case of university student Son Jeong-min (22), who went missing at Hangang Park and was later found dead, have actively responded to criticisms regarding their initial response being inadequate. Earlier, Son's father, Son Hyun (50), released a statement claiming that the police investigation of friend A, a key person in the case, was insufficient in the early stages.

According to the Seoul Seocho Police Station on the 26th, the police conducted a witness interview with A on the 27th, following the missing person report on the 25th of last month, until Son was found on the 30th of the same month. Hypnosis sessions were also conducted twice on the 27th and 29th.

After discovering Son on the 30th of last month, the police deployed all seven teams from the violent crimes division to investigate the circumstances of his death. They conducted profiler interviews with A on the 9th and 12th of this month, and a total of four interviews with A on the 14th and 22nd, while also questioning A’s parents twice and once, respectively.

Additionally, on the 7th of this month, A’s mother’s phone was subjected to digital forensic analysis, and on the 10th and 16th, the phones of A’s father and sister were also forensically examined. On the 21st, A’s iPad and other devices were submitted for forensic analysis. The results showed no signs of data deletion, call history removal, or message tampering.

Earlier, Son Hyun stated in a morning press release, "Considering my child’s personality, I requested the investigation to treat the disappearance as an accident from the start, but the investigation of A, the only person involved, was delayed." He added, "To my knowledge, A’s blood alcohol concentration, bodily injuries, and signs of a struggle on the morning of the disappearance have not been investigated."

He continued, "Please focus the investigation on securing A’s testimony, the only person involved in the case, through video analysis, polygraph tests, and additional profiler interviews," and earnestly requested, "I sincerely ask the police to do their utmost to reveal the objective truth beyond the substantive truth."

A police official stated, "We are conducting a detailed analysis of CCTV footage and submitted videos to clarify the scene and secure additional witnesses. For some CCTV footage whose storage period has expired, forensic analysis was performed." The official added, "Key witnesses’ statements are being verified for credibility through on-site investigations and forensic hypnosis." Furthermore, the official emphasized, "We once again assure that we are doing our best to uncover the substantive truth, understanding the bereaved family’s earnest feelings."

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