Father of Medical Student Who Died in Hangang: "Friend Who Was With Him Has Neither Offered Condolences Nor Apology"

"Should Have Contacted Even If They Were Friend's Parents"
"Frustrated by Situation Relying Only on Friend's Testimony"

On the 30th, rescue workers near Banpo Hangang Park in Seoul recovered the body of Son Jeong-min, who was found dead six days after going missing.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Bong-ju] Son Hyun (50), the father of medical student Son Jeong-min (22), who was found dead five days after going missing following drinking and falling asleep at Banpo Hangang Park in Seoul, said he has not received a proper apology from the friend who drank with his son.

According to a report by Dailyan on the 3rd, at the funeral hall set up for the late Jeong-min at Seoul Gangnam St. Mary’s Hospital, Son told Dailyan reporters, "If (my son’s) friend had contacted me around 3:30 a.m., when he was on the phone with his own parents, Jeong-min would not have died," expressing his frustration. Friend A is known to have not yet visited Jeong-min’s funeral hall, which was opened on the 1st.

Jeong-min is known to have fallen asleep after drinking with A at Banpo Hangang Park from around 11 p.m. on the 24th. Later, A called his parents around 3:30 a.m. on the 25th and woke up to go home around 4:30 a.m. A told the police, "I thought my friend had gone home because I couldn’t see him, so I went home."

Son said, "If he was asleep and couldn’t be woken up, shouldn’t he have called the parents directly?" He added, "He says he didn’t call immediately because he was drunk and not in his right mind, but at least (A’s) parents should have contacted us." He further insisted, "They should at least apologize for not contacting me and my wife even after 5 a.m."

Son also appeared on CBS Radio’s 'Kim Hyun-jung’s News Show' on the 3rd and raised questions about A discarding the shoes he was wearing on the day of the incident.

Son said, "There’s no place around the (incident) site that could get that dirty. There’s no mud. It’s grass, sand, plants, and water, so what could have gotten dirty? The pants would have been washed, and when I asked (A’s) father to show me the shoes, the answer came out in 0.5 seconds: 'He threw them away.'"

He added, "Injuries caused by water flow are not important. The key is how he ended up in the water." He confessed, "It’s frustrating that we have to rely solely on the friend’s testimony."

Although there are two torn wounds on the back of Jeong-min’s head, the National Forensic Service stated on the 1st that these wounds were not the direct cause of death.

Jeong-min’s cause of death is expected to be clarified once the detailed autopsy results come out about 15 days later.