Son Jeongmin's Father: "My Son Returned Home in an Urn on Children's Day"

Sharing the Heartfelt Feelings After Losing Son Jeongmin
"Seeing My Son's Ashes with My Own Eyes Is Unthinkable"

Son Jeong-min (right), who was found dead five days after going missing at Seoul Hangang Park, and his father Son Hyun. / Photo by Blog Capture

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Juhyung] Son Hyun, the father of university student Son Jeongmin (22), who was found dead after going missing at Seoul Hangang Park, revealed his feelings upon receiving his son's urn on Children's Day.

On the 7th, Son wrote on his blog, "Having the funeral on Children's Day is truly ironic," and added, "I had to write the date of death on various reports, and legally, it was recorded as April 30, the day he was found. However, we consider April 25, the day he went missing, as Jeongmin's date of death."

He continued, "We cremated Jeongmin and received the urn," expressing his grief, "It's easy to say 'a handful of ashes' in writing, but seeing my son's ashes with my own eyes was something unimaginable."

Son said, "My son, who went out on the night of the 24th last month, was only able to come home on May 5," and added, "We have carefully placed Jeongmin on the desk. We are playing his favorite Gamst broadcast 24 hours a day."

He also said, "Today, I met with the lawyers we hired to assist the police investigation and visited the Seocho Police Station together," explaining, "I shared the situation with the chief and, knowing how hard they are working, I asked them to please continue a little longer."

He also conveyed that he is experiencing emotional pain due to his son's death. Son said, "I started having nightmares since yesterday and received psychological counseling in the afternoon," and added, "When I finally reported my son's death, I felt something had changed. Crying hard seems to make me feel a bit better."

Chrysanthemums are placed on a bench at Hangang Park to commemorate Son Jeong-min, who was found dead after going missing. / Photo by Lee Jung-yoon leejuyoo@

He added, "I think it was an incredible thing to find Jeongmin in this vast Hangang River that day," and said, "Whether it was really to stop parents from worrying is something to be seen in the outcome."

Meanwhile, according to multiple media reports on the same day, the police secured CCTV footage capturing the family of friend A, who drank with Jeongmin, discarding the shoes A was wearing at the time. The police plan to verify detailed facts through the secured footage.

Additionally, the police are focusing on reconstructing the situation by analyzing footage from 54 CCTVs near the park where Jeongmin went missing and black box footage from 133 vehicles entering and exiting the park.

Previously, Jeongmin went missing after drinking near the water taxi boarding area at Hangang Park from around 11 p.m. on the 24th of last month until about 2 a.m. the next day. He was found dead underwater in the Hangang River five days later, on April 30.

It was reported that Jeongmin had head wounds when his body was found. Son explained to reporters on the day his son was found, "I just finished the autopsy, and there were two wounds about two finger-widths long on the back of his head," adding, "They were thick and deep, as if cut by something sharp."

The police requested an autopsy from the National Forensic Service on the 1st and are investigating the exact cause of death.