After Real Story 탐사대 Broadcast... Late Son Jeongmin's Father "Thinking of Entering Han River"

Late Son Jeongmin's Friend Speaks Out... "Now Is the Time to Mourn the Deceased and Comfort the Bereaved Family"

On the 11th, police forces were conducting a search of the late Son Jung-min's friend's mobile phone near the water taxi dock at Banpo Hangang Park, Seocho-gu, Seoul. Photo by Jin-Hyung Kang aymsdream@

[Asia Economy Reporter Seoyoung Kwon] The side of Mr. A, known as a friend of Son Jeongmin (22), who was found dead after going missing in the Han River, has expressed their position for the first time.

On the 15th, MBC's current affairs program 'True Story Exploration' aired a segment titled 'Medical Student Missing in Han River, Father's Promise' covering the death case of Son Jeongmin. The broadcast addressed the doubts held by Son Jeongmin's father, Son Hyun (50), regarding his son's friend Mr. A, who was with Jeongmin that day.

Mr. Son Hyun has continuously raised suspicions toward Mr. A concerning his son's death. He revealed that the day after his son went missing, he visited Mr. A's home and heard that "Jeongmin had been struggling recently due to academic issues, relationships with friends, and the death of his grandmother." He also mentioned that he could not shake off doubts about Mr. A not making efforts to find the changed phone.

During the broadcast, profiler Sanghoon Bae commented on Mr. A's behavior, stating that "it does not align well with the situation at the scene." He analyzed, "In such cases, actions like searching, reporting, and asking others if they have seen the person should occur, but none of these processes happened." He added, "When I first heard that Mr. A went home and searched with his parents, I thought this was not just an accident but a case."

However, Mr. A's side had not previously made any special statements regarding these suspicions. The production team of 'True Story Exploration' also tried to hear Mr. A's side by visiting his residence and his father's hospital but could not meet him.

Instead, Mr. A's side explained the reason for their silence through a lengthy message. Through their legal representative, they stated, "Our basic position is to request that no reports be made about us," and "We believe now is the time to mourn the deceased and comfort the bereaved family. We trust that minor speculations or misunderstandings will naturally be resolved once the police investigation results are released."

Meanwhile, Mr. Son Hyun shared his thoughts on the broadcast. At the end of a post titled 'Han River on the 15th' on his blog, he wrote, "I watched today's MBC investigative program," and expressed gratitude to the PD who demonstrated why entering the Han River directly is impossible. He added, "I also plan to enter (the Han River) someday." He concluded his post by saying, "Another day passes like this. Thank you once again for your great interest."