Abandoned Shoes and Missing Cell Phone... Unresolved Questions in the Hangang Missing University Student Case

Police Secure CCTV Showing Friend A's Family Shoes Being Thrown Away
Also Searching Mobile Phones Near Disappearance Site

The police are conducting a search to find the cellphone of Mr. A, a friend of Son Jeong-min./Photo by Lee Jung-yoon leejuyoo@

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Jung-yoon] Numerous questions are arising regarding the case of university student Son Jeong-min (22), who went missing near Seoul’s Hangang Park and was later found dead. Suspicions have been raised about the shoes and mobile phone of friend A, who was with Jeong-min until the very end, but clear evidence to resolve these doubts has yet to emerge.

According to the police on the 9th, the Seocho Police Station in Seoul has secured CCTV footage showing A’s family disposing of the shoes and is verifying the facts. Earlier, the police reportedly heard a statement from A’s father regarding the disposal of A’s shoes. However, a police official stated, “We cannot confirm specific answers.”

Jeong-min’s father, Son Hyun (50), raised suspicions about the claim that A’s shoes were ‘thrown away.’ In an interview with a media outlet, Son Hyun said he went to ask and encourage A to cooperate with hypnosis investigation to obtain as much information as possible, and at that time, “A said, ‘My friend (Jeong-min) suddenly got up while sleeping and ran, and I fell while trying to catch him. That’s when my shoes and clothes got dirty.’”

He added, “There is no place around there where they could get that dirty. There’s no mud. It’s grass, sand, plants, and water, so what could have gotten dirty?” He claimed, “We need to see. The pants would have been washed, and when I asked A’s father to show the shoes, the answer came out in 0.5 seconds: ‘I threw them away.’”

He continued, “From this, two questions arise. It’s strange that a typical father would know his child’s shoes were thrown away and answer immediately when asked. Normally, one would say, ‘I don’t know,’ ‘I’ll ask,’ or ‘They should be somewhere.’ It’s odd that the father knows the shoes were thrown away and gives a direct answer.”

A Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency official told reporters that regarding the question of whether A threw away the shoes he was wearing at the time to conceal the crime, “We plan to thoroughly investigate the circumstances surrounding the disposal of the shoes with the involved parties.”

Attention is also focused on A’s mobile phone. A’s phone has been identified as a key clue that could resolve suspicions on the day of the disappearance, but its whereabouts remain unknown.

On the day of the disappearance, the 25th of last month, A was holding Jeong-min’s phone when meeting with Jeong-min’s family and others. A’s phone was not found on Jeong-min, who was discovered in the Hangang River. Jeong-min’s phone is a Galaxy model, and the police revealed that A’s phone model is an ‘iPhone 8 Space Gray.’ The police have been searching near the Hangang River to secure the phone, and the Hangang Police Unit has continued searches along the riverbank and underwater. Volunteers assisting in uncovering the cause of death are also lending their support.

Jeong-min drank with A near the water taxi dock at Banpo Hangang Park from around 11 p.m. on the 24th of last month until about 2 a.m. the next day, fell asleep, and was found dead in the Hangang River five days after going missing on the 30th of last month. The police have requested an autopsy from the National Forensic Service to investigate the cause of death. The exact cause is expected to be revealed around mid-month when detailed examination results are released.