14-5-2024 (PATTAYA) The body of a South Korean man has been discovered under harrowing conditions in Thailand, sparking a major investigation. On May 11, authorities found a plastic barrel filled with cement and human remains in Pattaya, believed to be those of 34-year-old Roh Eui Jong, who had recently gone missing.
Deputy Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police Bureau, Pol. Maj. Gen. Noppasin Poonsawat, revealed that Roh had been reported missing since May 7, just a week after entering Thailand. The alarm was raised when his mother received a ransom call from an unidentified individual demanding three million baht (approximately $82,000 USD). The caller claimed Roh had disposed of drugs, causing significant losses.
The South Korean embassy promptly alerted Thai authorities, who initiated a search for Roh. During the investigation, it emerged that Roh had a secret Thai wife who reported his last sighting at a bar in RCA Plaza, located in Bangkok’s Huai Khwang district. Reviewing CCTV footage from May 3, police identified Roh, dressed in a white shirt, being escorted by two other Koreans. The footage showed the group moving to a rented vehicle, which they later swapped for another rental to obscure their movements en route to Pattaya.
The investigation revealed that the trio arrived at a residence near the Mabprachan reservoir. The following evening, around 9 PM, CCTV captured their pick-up truck leaving the house with a black cover and a barrel in the back. Further footage showed the men stopping at a store to buy a black plastic barrel and rope before parking near the reservoir for about an hour.
Days later, Thai police tracked the pick-up truck and dispatched divers to search the reservoir, where they discovered the black barrel containing Roh’s body. The police have identified two suspects, one of whom fled Thailand on May 9.
