Amidst the shocking murder of a Korean tourist in Pattaya, Thailand, one suspect has been apprehended by the police in South Korea.
According to the police, on May 13th, the Criminal Investigation Division of the Gyeongnam Provincial Police Agency is investigating a suspect in his 20s, who has been arrested for allegedly murdering a Korean tourist in his 30s in Pattaya. The suspect, along with two accomplices, is accused of disposing of the body in a reservoir.
The police confirmed that one of the suspects had entered South Korea and had been tracking his whereabouts. At 7:46 pm on May 12th, the suspect was urgently arrested at his residence in Jeongeup, Jeonbuk.
The remaining two accomplices have not been confirmed to have left Thailand, and the police are investigating in collaboration with local law enforcement.
According to foreign media, on May 11th, Thai police discovered a large black plastic barrel filled with cement in a reservoir in Pattaya. The body of a 34-year-old Korean male tourist was found inside the barrel.
The victim entered Thailand on April 30th. Subsequently, on May 7th, the victim’s mother received a threatening phone call from an unknown man, stating, “Your son has thrown away drugs, causing us damage. Either pay $98,000 as compensation or your son will be killed.” The victim’s mother immediately reported this to the Korean embassy in Thailand, which then requested cooperation from the Thai police.
As a result of the police’s efforts to locate the victim, a witness emerged who last saw the victim at a club in Bangkok on May 2nd. Through the club’s surveillance footage, it was confirmed that around 2 a.m. on May 3rd, two Koreans took the victim in a rental car to Pattaya, where they switched to a different pickup truck. The police also discovered that they had rented accommodation near a reservoir in Pattaya.
The truck was seen leaving the accommodation around 9 p.m. on May 4th, carrying a black object in the back. The truck headed towards the nearby reservoir, parked there for about an hour, and then returned to the accommodation.
Thai police dispatched divers into the reservoir, where they retrieved a large black plastic barrel filled with cement. Inside the barrel was the body of the victim. The police also confirmed through surveillance footage that the group in the truck had previously purchased the plastic barrel and rope from a local store.
