Han River University Student Case, Who Is the Investigation For... Call for 'Principled Investigation' in Blue House Petition

"Who Exactly Is This Investigation For?" Petition Against Excessive Investigation
Petition Urging 'Truth Clarification' Also Ongoing

A petition titled "We want a sincere investigation into the Han River death case" posted on the Blue House National Petition Board on the 27th. Photo by Blue House Board Capture

[Asia Economy Reporter Kang Juhee] Regarding the case of the late Son Jeongmin (22), who went missing at Hangang Park and was later found dead, a Blue House national petition urging a conscientious investigation has emerged.

On the 27th, a petition titled "We want a conscientious investigation into the Hangang death case" was posted on the national petition board.

The petitioner pointed out, "Currently, the Hangang case is excessively heated due to unfiltered media coverage and the spread of false information by some streamers, and this indiscriminate public opinion campaign has long crossed the line," adding, "The vast majority of normal citizens feel extreme fatigue."

They also stated, "Friend A, who should naturally be protected as a mere witness, has been exposed without filtering to indiscriminate personal information dissemination and statements from the bereaved family, suffering mental damage that is difficult to recover from."

The petitioner further expressed concern that the investigative authorities are being excessively swayed by public opinion. They said, "Under the pretext that public interest is focused, the entire Gangnam 7th Violent Crime Team of Seocho Police Station has been deployed for an unprecedented investigation, and an active and reasonable investigative result disclosing all case materials has been announced," adding, "Nevertheless, some members of the public are demanding an expansion of the investigation and a transfer to the prosecution for unfounded reasons."

They continued, "Who exactly is this investigation for? Seocho Police and the prosecution are not personal investigative teams for specific individuals or cases," emphasizing, "We hope that the police will not be swept away by some public opinion demanding unfair preferential investigations simply because their interests and demands are not met, and that a conscientious investigation can proceed."

On the morning of the 18th, a memorial space for the late Son Jeong-min was set up near the water taxi dock at Banpo Hangang Park in Seoul. / Photo by Yonhap News

Meanwhile, a Blue House national petition calling for a thorough investigation into Son's accident is ongoing. The petition, posted on the 28th, calls for a thorough investigation of friend A, who was with Son on the day of the accident. This petition has currently garnered over 450,000 supporters.

On the other hand, the police announced on the 27th that no circumstances linking the case to a crime have been confirmed.

According to reports, Han Wonhoeng, head of the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency's Criminal Division, said at a briefing that "So far, no circumstances linking Son's death to a crime have been confirmed, but all possibilities are being kept open to uncover the substantive truth."

Earlier, the police deployed all seven teams of the Gangnam 7th Violent Crime Unit at Seocho Police Station, analyzed 126 closed-circuit television (CCTV) videos and 193 vehicles entering and exiting Hangang, and conducted 33 investigations including witness interviews, on-site investigations, and hypnosis sessions with 16 witnesses from 7 groups.

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