[Q&A] Unending Suspicions Surround the Death of the Late Son Jeong-min... Police Explanation

On the afternoon of the 27th, Han Won-hoeng, Chief of the Criminal Division, is announcing the current police investigation status regarding the death of the late Son Jeong-min at the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency in Naejadong, Jongno-gu, Seoul.

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Gwan-joo] The police investigating the case of university student the late Son Jeong-min, who went missing and was found dead at Seoul Hangang Park, have announced the current status of the investigation and explained various suspicions raised so far. Various unconfirmed suspicions related to Son’s death and his friend Mr. A have been circulated on social networking services (SNS). The police’s explanations regarding suspicions raised by some YouTubers and netizens have been summarized in a Q&A format.

▲ Why did friend Mr. A suddenly contact Son to drink even though they were not that close?

= It was confirmed that Mr. A and Son usually hung out together, drank alcohol, and even traveled abroad together.

▲ Was Son heavily intoxicated?

= According to the autopsy results by the National Forensic Service, Son’s blood alcohol concentration was reported as 0.154%. Considering that this figure includes alcohol produced during the decomposition process of the body, the actual blood alcohol concentration is estimated to be between 0.105% and 0.148%, according to the National Forensic Service’s opinion. (The blood alcohol concentration level for license cancellation due to drunk driving is 0.08% or higher.)

▲ Was there any quarrel between Son and Mr. A?

= Videos circulating on YouTube showing unidentified men seemingly chasing each other were testified by witnesses to be scenes of them playing and running around at Hangang Park. Other witnesses also testified that they did not see any quarrel or fight between Son and Mr. A.

▲ What is the meaning of 'Golden Gun' in the video saved on Son’s phone?

= After mentioning the phrase, the video refers to 'Jay Park' and others, which is presumed to indicate a singer who left the label (Hi-Lite Records) founded by singer Park Jae-beom and changed his stage name from 'Golden' back to 'G Soul'.

▲ Did Mr. A hide or dispose of his own phone?

= Analysis of Mr. A’s phone location data confirmed that from the last call time around 3:38 a.m. on April 25 until the phone was finally turned off at 7:02 a.m., the phone remained around Hangang Park.

▲ Is there any suspicion that bloodstains were found on the ground at the scene?

= A wide forensic examination was conducted around the scene, including the location where the suspicion was raised, but no bloodstain reactions were detected.

▲ The claim that Son was already dead while lying on the mat or that Mr. A injected something into the back of Son’s neck?

= The autopsy concluded that the cause of death was presumed drowning, and no notable drugs or toxins were detected in the blood or stomach.

▲ Did Mr. A drag Son into the water?

= The taxi driver who drove Mr. A home around 4:42 a.m. on April 25 testified that he did not clearly see whether Mr. A’s clothes were wet, but after the trip ended, the vehicle’s rear seat was not wet during cleaning.

▲ The sudden disclosure of important witnesses, the fishermen?

= While questioning 193 vehicles entering Hangang Park, the police identified a group of witnesses and investigated seven people on the 12th and 13th of this month. Five of them consistently testified that they directly saw the incident, and the credibility of their statements was confirmed through on-site investigations involving the witnesses and forensic analysis of their phones.

▲ Why did the fishermen not report the incident?

= The witnesses testified that the person entering the water made sounds as if enjoying the coolness and swam in the Hangang River, so they did not consider it a dangerous situation and did not report it.

▲ Was Mr. A’s clothing examined?

= Mr. A’s clothing was secured on the 4th of this month and sent to the National Forensic Service for examination; no bloodstains or DNA were found.

▲ Why did patrol cars arrive near the incident location before the missing person report on the day?

= Around 3:30 a.m. on April 25, a report of a suspected drunk driving traffic accident was received, and one patrol car from the police substation and one traffic patrol car were dispatched.

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