Son Jeong-min's Father Questions Witness Statements in Police Report... Police Say "Confirmed Through Investigation"

On the afternoon of the 29th, marking one month since the suspicions surrounding the Son Jung-min case, who was found dead in the Han River, continue, citizens attending a rally organized by the People Seeking the Truth of the Banpo Han River Incident (Banjinsa) at the entrance of Express Bus Terminal Station in Seocho-gu, Seoul, are urging the police for a fair investigation.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Jung-yoon] Son Hyun (50), the father of university student Son Jeong-min (22), who went missing at Hangang Park and was found dead, raised doubts about some parts of the police investigation progress announcement. In response, the police stated that the information had been confirmed.

On the 30th, Son Hyun's blog posted an article titled "Witness and Briefing." In the post, Son Hyun said, "We contacted two witnesses who directly reported to us on the 11th and obtained a photo taken around 2:18 a.m. on the 25th of last month (the day Son went missing)." He added, "These individuals later went to the police and gave statements at our request."

The photo shows Son lying sideways on the grass, and his friend A squatting next to him with a bag on his shoulder. After the photo was released, some raised suspicions that A was rummaging through Son’s pockets at the time. On the 27th, the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency stated in a mid-investigation announcement regarding this photo, "The witness who submitted the photo testified that A was packing up his belongings and shaking Jeong-min, who was sleeping, to wake him up."

Son Hyun expressed skepticism about the police’s investigation announcement. He said, "It’s strange. The witness’s statement was announced as a waking-up scene, but in the photo, A is tidying up the place and looking at his phone, leaving Jeong-min unattended," adding, "Something felt off, so I dared to contact the witness again despite the inconvenience."

In a screenshot photo released by Son Hyun, the witness said, "You say rummaging through the pocket was waking him up? That didn’t feel like waking him up at all," and added, "I don’t really know why he was rummaging through the pocket, but what am I supposed to do if the police make such a definitive statement?" He continued, "I gave an accurate statement, but it seems the communication was somewhat distorted."

Furthermore, Son Hyun claimed, "Here, we could see how the witness’s testimony is distorted during the police’s announcement," and said, "Since we cannot meet the other witnesses, we naturally cannot be confident that the announcement is correct and can only have doubts."

In response, the police issued a statement saying, "Regarding the claim that the police announcement about the photo taken by the witness at 2:18 a.m. on the 25th of last month differs from what the bereaved family heard, the police’s announcement is based on information confirmed through witness investigation."

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