One Korean arrested as Thai police use DNA to ID body in a barrel
South Korean police have arrested one of three suspects in the murder of a Korean man whose body was found in a barrel in a Chonburi reservoir on Saturday night.
Lee Roun is being interrogated by police in Incheon while an international arrest warrant (red notice) has been issued for the other two suspects, named Kim Hyeonggwon and Lee Youngjin.
The arrest comes after Thai police investigating the disappearance of South Korean national Roh Eui Jong, 34, discovered a body stuffed in a 200-litre plastic barrel weighted down with concrete and submerged in Map Prachan reservoir, Bang Lamung district. The victim’s fingers had been severed in what Thai police suspect was an attempt by the killers to hamper identification efforts.
The man was reported missing on May 3, after which his mother in South Korea received a call demanding a ransom of 3 million baht for his release. The caller claimed the money was for a drug deal gone wrong.
Investigators believe one suspect, Lee Youngjin, fled over the border to Cambodia but the other, Kim Hyeonggwon, remains at large in Thailand.
Thai and South Korean authorities are collaborating to ascertain what business the suspects were involved in and whether they have criminal records.
Relatives of the victim have arrived in Thailand and were due to collect his body from the Police Hospital in Bangkok today.
DNA samples have been taken from the victim’s father, older sister and cousin to confirm the identity of the victim, with results expected on Wednesday.
