Son Jung-min's Father: "Witnesses Said They Didn't See... 'Gogal' Reenactment Is Nonsense"

"Why Did You Include an Exaggerated Scene?" Criticism

Photo uploaded by Son Hyun, father of Son Jeong-min. Son claimed that SBS investigative journalism program "Unanswered Questions" poorly reenacted the accident. / Photo by Blog Capture

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Juhyung] Son Hyun, the father of university student Son Jeongmin who was found dead at Seoul Hangang Park, expressed discomfort over the reenactment scene of the accident aired on SBS investigative journalism program "Unanswered Questions" (Geu-al). Son criticized the reenactment as "nonsense" and said, "Apologies or apologies are of little use."

On the 14th, Son wrote on his blog, "I will say a word about the nonsense reenactment of Geu-al today," expressing his feelings.

Earlier, SBS "Unanswered Questions" aired an analysis of Jeongmin's accident on May 29. The production team reconstructed the accident based on various videos obtained and witness testimonies, concluding through video evidence and expert analysis that Jeongmin's accident was unlikely to be a homicide. However, Son claims that the reenactment video by "Unanswered Questions" contains many discrepancies with witness testimonies.

Regarding this, Son explained, "At 3:37 a.m. on April 25, the day of the incident, there is a scene where friend A wakes Jeongmin and makes a phone call from his house," adding, "According to the police report, there are three groups of witnesses at the time A made the call."

He continued, "Group B did not see Jeongmin, Group C witnessed A making the call alone without Jeongmin in the famous moon photo," and "Only Group D claims to have seen them, but even they said A was talking separately from Jeongmin. Ten minutes later, neither saw them," he pointed out.

SBS's "Unanswered Questions" covering the death incident of Son Jeong-min / Photo by SBS

He then said, "Logically, two of the three groups said they did not see him, and the most important photo of A making the call alone exists, so such reenactment should not be done," adding, "Isn't it strange that the lawyer's statement, witness testimonies, and photos all differ? Isn't that what an investigative program should point out?"

This is not the first time Son has publicly criticized "Unanswered Questions." On the 10th, he commented on the reenactment scene, saying, "If there is no original footage, reenactment is understandable, but why include exaggerated scenes?" and "The term 'irreversible' sticks in the mind once seen, so apologies or apologies are of little use. They really have overwhelming authority," he criticized.

On the 3rd, he lamented, "There are 19 complaints against 'Unanswered Questions,'" and "The peak viewership reached 11%, and I contributed the most, but I feel completely used."

He added, "I believed firmly that interviews and providing materials during busy times would help," and "Later, I even submitted the autopsy report through an information disclosure request, but I am really angry," expressing his frustration.

SBS's "Unanswered Questions" accepted the correction request from Jeong-min's father, Son Hyun, and revised some of the subtitle content. The production team posted an apology on the official website, stating, "We have corrected and re-uploaded the mentioned broadcast content." / Photo by SBS Broadcast Capture

Meanwhile, "Unanswered Questions" previously corrected and apologized for some broadcast content pointed out by Son. The broadcast included statements from friend A, who drank with Jeongmin when he went missing. The program added subtitles saying, "(When I woke up) Jeongmin definitely wasn't there. Jeongmin once passed out like this before."

However, Son pointed out that the subtitle was incorrect. He said, "The phrase 'passed out like this before' in A's statement does not refer to our Jeongmin," and "There is another friend, but whether intentional or a mistake, the subtitle identified it as Jeongmin."

In response, the "Unanswered Questions" production team acknowledged the error and apologized. On the 1st of last month, the program posted a notice on its official website stating, "We have corrected the broadcast content mentioned by Son Hyun on his personal blog and re-uploaded the revised content for replay," and "We apologize to Jeongmin's father and viewers for this matter," bowing their heads.

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