After the Body of Missing University Student Found at Hangang Park
Father Raises Questions About Friend Who Was With Him
Unverified Rumors Circulate Online
Proven to Be Fake News
[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Jung-yoon] The death of university student Son Jeong-min (22), who went missing after falling asleep at Seoul's Hangang Park and was later found dead, is plunging into mystery. As various questions about the case continue to emerge, confusion is intensifying with not only a Blue House national petition demanding the truth but also the indiscriminate spread of unverified fake news.
According to the police on the 4th, 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, identified as A, woke up around 4:30 a.m. and returned home alone, but Son went missing. Son's body was later found on the afternoon of the 30th of last month. It was reported that his clothing was the same as when he disappeared.
After Son's body was discovered, his father, Son Hyun (50), raised questions. In an interview with a media outlet, he said about A, "I didn’t know much about Jeong-min’s friendships or who his friends were, but later my wife told me there was a group of 6 to 7 friends who had traveled abroad twice together, and A was one of the close friends who traveled with him."
Regarding A’s statement that he "threw away the shoes," Son Hyun said he visited A on the 26th of last month to obtain as much information as possible and to encourage cooperation with a hypnosis investigation. At that time, "A said that 'Jeong-min suddenly woke up while sleeping, ran and tried to catch his teeth, and fell, which caused his shoes and clothes to get dirty,'" he said.
He added, "'Looking back later, I wondered why he emphasized that his shoes and clothes got dirty, since it wasn’t a place where they should have gotten dirty.'" This led him to say, "I wanted to see what was on them, and since I thought the clothes had been washed, I asked to see the shoes, but he immediately said he had thrown them away," raising suspicion. He also said, "I want to know how Jeong-min entered the Hangang between 3:30 a.m. and 5:30 a.m."
Besides this, various suspicions have surfaced online. A 1 minute and 5 second CCTV video recorded at a bicycle rental station next to a convenience store in Banpo Hangang Park around 4:30 a.m. on the 25th of last month has been widely circulated. The video shows three men running quickly along the riverside road, and online speculation suggested they might be related to the disappearance.
However, the police concluded on the 1st that these individuals were unrelated to the disappearance after summoning and questioning them. They were identified as one high school student and two middle school students who are seniors and juniors in the neighborhood. They stated that they were just running around the Hangang Park at dawn and did not clearly remember if anyone was beside them at the time. They also denied any altercation with anyone.
Rumors also spread that A’s father was the former chief of the Seoul Gangnam Police Station, who was suspended during the Burning Sun scandal, but this was reported to be fake news. Additionally, rumors that A was the son of a professor at Gangnam Severance Hospital circulated, but the hospital officially stated, "This is not true." Gangnam Severance Hospital said, "The rumors mentioning specific medical staff at Gangnam Severance Hospital circulating online are false," and "(This case) is unrelated to any family members of the hospital’s medical staff." They further warned, "Baseless rumors may lead to legal liability," and requested restraint in posting and spreading related content.
As various suspicions surrounding Son’s death emerged, a Blue House national petition demanding the truth was posted. Since its posting on the 3rd, it had garnered 136,159 signatures by 10:50 a.m. on the day of reporting. The petitioner wrote, "This student’s death seems to be a case, not an accident," and added, "A thorough investigation is needed to find the truth, as the friend who was drinking and together with him has not been investigated, and only witnesses are being sought."
Meanwhile, the police are conducting digital forensics on Son’s mobile phone and plan to summon A for questioning. They are also investigating related matters such as reviewing black box footage from vehicles parked around Banpo Hangang Park at the time of the disappearance and CCTV footage.
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.
