Three Men in CCTV on the Day of Disappearance... Police Say "Unrelated to Son Jeongmin Case"

On the afternoon of the 30th of last month, rescue workers recovered the body of university student Son Jeong-min, who was found dead after being missing for six days, in the Han River near Banpo Hangang Park in Seoul. [Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Jung-yoon] The three men captured on nearby closed-circuit television (CCTV) around the time university student Son Jeong-min (22), who fell asleep at Seoul Hangang Park and later went missing, was last seen have been confirmed to be unrelated to the case.

According to the police on the 3rd, the Seocho Police Station in Seoul summoned one high school student and two middle school students, who are seniors and juniors in the neighborhood, for questioning on the 1st, and concluded that they were not connected to the disappearance.

They stated that they were just running around Hangang Park during the early morning hours and do not clearly remember if anyone was beside them at the time. They also said they did not have any altercation with anyone.

Earlier, a 1 minute and 5 second video recorded by a CCTV installed at a bicycle rental station next to a convenience store in Banpo Hangang Park at around 4:30 a.m. on the 25th of last month spread online. The video showed three men running quickly along the riverside road, leading some netizens to speculate that they might be related to Son’s disappearance.

The police said they plan to summon and investigate the friend who drank with Son just before he went missing if necessary.

Son had been drinking with a friend at Banpo Hangang Park from around 11 p.m. on the 24th of last month until about 2 a.m. the next day, after which he fell asleep. The friend woke up around 4:30 a.m. and went home, but Son was missing. Later, on the afternoon of the 30th of last month, Son’s body was found. It was reported that his clothing was the same as when he went missing.

There were two stab wounds about the size of two finger joints behind the left ear of the body. The National Forensic Service, which conducted an autopsy on Son’s body, reportedly gave a preliminary verbal opinion stating, "Due to the decomposition of the body, the cause of death cannot be determined visually," and indicated that the stab wounds on the head were not the direct cause of death. The National Forensic Service is conducting a detailed examination of samples taken from the body to determine the exact cause of death. The results are expected to be released around mid-month.