Possibility of 'Accidental Death' Conclusion in Late Son Jeong-min Case Rises... Friend A's Phone Shows No 'Blood Stain Reaction'

Photo by Yonhap News Agency
On the 1st, a memorial space for the late medical student Son Jeong-min, who went missing and was found dead in the Han River, has been set up near the incident site at Banpo Hangang Park, Seocho-gu, Seoul, where the police investigation into the case is ongoing.

[Asia Economy Reporter Hwang Sumi] According to the forensic analysis by the National Forensic Service (NFS) on the mobile phone of Mr. A, who drank with Son Jeong-min (22) on the day Son went missing and was later found dead at Seoul Hangang Park, no bloodstain reactions were detected. Accordingly, since no other criminal evidence was found on Mr. A's phone, it is widely known that this case is likely to be closed as a simple accident.

According to the police and media reports on the 5th, the Seoul Seocho Police Station requested the NFS to analyze bloodstains and DNA on Mr. A's phone, which was found on the 30th of last month, and received results indicating no bloodstain reactions were detected. DNA and other tests have not yet been completed.

Earlier, on the 1st, the police announced that a digital forensic examination of Mr. A's phone did not reveal any peculiarities related to the cause of Son's death. At that time, a Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency official told the media, "The forensic results did not confirm any content related to conflicts with Son or motives for the crime on the phone," and added, "It was also confirmed that the phone was turned off at 7:02 a.m. on April 25, the day Son went missing, and was never turned back on."

A memorial space for Son Jeong-min has been set up near the site of the incident at Banpo Hangang Park in Seocho-gu, Seoul, where police investigations are ongoing regarding the case of Son Jeong-min, who went missing and was found dead at Hangang Park in Seoul on the 1st.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

There had been speculation that Mr. A's phone might contain clues to track the whereabouts of Son and Mr. A on the day of the incident, but the phone's whereabouts were unknown. Then, on the 30th of last month, an employee at the Banpo Information Center in Hangang Park reported to the Seoul Seocho Police Station that a sanitation worker had found and submitted the phone, which was confirmed to be Mr. A's phone. After securing the phone, the police requested fingerprint, bloodstain, and DNA analyses from the NFS and conducted digital forensics. Additionally, the police are investigating the exact circumstances of how the phone was found by conducting forensic hypnosis on the sanitation worker, who reportedly kept the phone for over two weeks before reporting it, and performing further CCTV analysis.