Seung Jaehyun, Senior Research Fellow at the Korea Institute of Criminology and Justice Policy, Points Out
On the 6th, several questions were raised regarding the death of a woman in her 30s, BJ Byeon Ah-yeong, who was found dead near Kandal Province, close to Phnom Penh, the capital of Cambodia.
Byeon left for Cambodia on the 2nd with one acquaintance. Two days later, on the 4th, she visited a hospital run by a Chinese couple and then went missing. She was found dead on the 6th. The Chinese couple, who were arrested by local police on charges including corpse abandonment, reportedly claimed that "Byeon suddenly had a seizure and died while receiving intravenous fluids and serum injections."
Seung Jae-hyun, a senior research fellow at the Korea Institute of Criminal Justice Policy, appeared on CBS Radio's "Kim Hyun-jung's News Show" on the 13th and raised three questions about Byeon's death.
Seung first said, "There are many Korean hospitals, so I think it is necessary to clarify why she went to a foreign hospital where communication is difficult."
In this regard, Oh Sung-il, director of Global Korean Hospital, stated in a CBS interview, "There are several hospitals run by Korean doctors locally, so I don't understand why Byeon went to a Chinese hospital."
Seung then addressed the serum injection, saying, "Serum injections are given to boost immunity when infected with malaria or tetanus. We need to investigate what symptoms led Byeon to receive the serum injection and why the hospital prescribed it. It is essential to determine whether this was a medical accident due to negligence or an intentional incident."
Cambodian local media outlet Koh Santepheap Daily reported on the 11th that a Chinese couple was arrested by the police on suspicion of abandoning the body of a Korean woman found dead in Kandal Province near Phnom Penh. [Photo by Koh Santepheap Daily website capture]
Seung also pointed out that Byeon showed signs of being beaten and had a swollen face. He said, "While serum injections can cause facial swelling, the side effects from assault and drug intoxication are completely different."
He added, "The fact that some parts of the body were broken clearly indicates external force was applied; such fractures do not occur simply from having a seizure while receiving serum injections."
Seung said, "Since the cause of death has not been determined, I consider this a suspicious death." He continued, "The exact cause must be clarified through joint investigations with local police. The companion of Byeon is not necessarily considered a suspect, so it would be good if they cooperate with the investigation."
Regarding reports that the bereaved family opposes an autopsy of Byeon, he said, "If this is not an accident but an incident, it is necessary to reveal the truth behind this unjust death."
Cambodian police are proceeding with judicial procedures against the suspect couple. It is reported that the investigation results have not yet been notified to the Korean National Police Agency or the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Meanwhile, Cambodia is known to have many unauthorized medical facilities without hospital licenses, requiring special caution. Previously, comedian Seo Se-won also died on April 20 while receiving an intravenous drip at a hospital in Phnom Penh.
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