[Asia Economy Reporter Hong Ja-yeon] Son Hyun, the father of the late university student Son Jeong-min (22), who was found dead after going missing at Seoul Hangang Park, stated, "From the bereaved family's perspective, we have organized the questions and parts that require further investigation and submitted them to both the National Police Agency headquarters and the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency."
On the 20th, Son posted an article titled "That Day" on his blog, saying, "I submitted it twice to the Seocho Police Station but never received a response, so I submitted it to the higher authorities," adding, "I deliberately wrote 'To the Commissioner' at the top, but I don't know if it will be delivered. I was going to submit a third petition to the Seocho Police Station, but the person in charge of us was dispatched to a local branch, and there is nowhere appropriate to inquire about the progress."
He continued, "I wonder what they are doing or if they are doing nothing and just wasting time, but there is nowhere to ask. Are we being abandoned like this..." expressing his frustration.
He also posted a screenshot of a map app, revealing his movement route over several days starting from April 25.
Son said, "For three days, I think I was running around like crazy, thinking Jeong-min might have collapsed somewhere," adding, "Looking back, the last phone location of the companion came out at the Gangbuk water taxi terminal, so I had to go around Gangbuk a lot for three days, and the police had to search many unnecessary places."
He added, "If they had told us anything, looking at the videos from 3 a.m., 4 a.m., and 5 a.m. that day, they were only walking along the riverbank. If we had known something, we wouldn't have spent so much time in Gangbuk," expressing regret that "They never once said anything helpful for the search."
Meanwhile, Son also expressed concern about the 'Death Case Review Committee' that the police decided to convene, saying, "I have more fear than expectation."
Son said, "Since it's the same police, I thought that adding external members to the committee might make a difference, but are they trying to prevent any attempt from the start?" He added, "Or are they just testing the waters, or did the real fisherman (witness) fail, so they don't know and just say they don't know?"
He continued, "Some tell me to have hope, but based on what I've seen so far, I have more fear than expectation."
The Seocho Police Station in Seoul decided to hold a 'Death Case Review Committee' regarding Jeong-min's case, which allows the police to determine whether to close the investigation.
According to the National Police Agency's directive, the 'Death Case Handling Regulations' stipulate that the police chief must convene a review committee for death cases where the identity of the deceased is unknown, cases where the bereaved family raises objections to the investigation results, or other death cases deemed necessary for review by the police chief, to deliberate on the need for supplementary investigation and whether to close the death case.
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