Suspect in 20s Extradited for Pattaya Drum Murder Case Referred to Prosecution

The suspect in his 20s, who was recently forcibly extradited to Korea in connection with the Pattaya drum murder case in Thailand, was handed over to the prosecution on the 19th.

The Criminal Investigation Unit of the Gyeongnam Provincial Police Agency announced that they had referred suspect A, in his 20s, to the prosecution under arrest on charges including robbery and murder, abandonment of a corpse, and attempted extortion.

A is accused of kidnapping and murdering B, a Korean tourist in his 30s, together with two other Korean accomplices in Pattaya, Thailand, around May 3, and abandoning the body in a reservoir.

He fled to Cambodia around May 9, immediately after the crime, but was apprehended in Phnom Penh five days later.

Subsequently, he was extradited to Korea on the 10th and investigated by the Gyeongnam Provincial Police Agency.

One of the accomplices, C, in his 20s, was arrested at a residence in Jeongeup, North Jeolla Province, on May 12 and is currently on trial in custody, while D, in his 30s, remains at large.

The suspect in the Pattaya Drum Murder case from Thailand, who was captured in Cambodia and forcibly repatriated to South Korea, is heading to Changwon District Court for a detention hearing with his face covered.
[Photo by Lee Seryoung]

According to the prosecution, on the day of the incident, the group made B drink alcohol laced with drugs at a club in Thailand, then put the intoxicated B into a prepared vehicle and moved to an accommodation they had reserved as the crime scene.

When the intoxicated B protested that the direction of travel was different, they strangled and beat him with their fists, resulting in his death.

After B died, they transferred several million won from B's phone via bank transfer, took the money, and upon returning to the accommodation, placed B's body in a drum and abandoned it in a nearby reservoir.

A representative from the Gyeongnam Provincial Police Agency stated, "There is an accomplice still being pursued, and since the trial for the already referred suspect is ongoing, we cannot disclose further details as it may affect the investigation and trial."

They added, "We are conducting a multifaceted investigation, cooperating with the National Police Agency's International Cooperation Office and liaison officers stationed in various countries, to quickly apprehend the remaining accomplice."