14-5-2024 (SEOUL) In a chilling case that has captivated international attention, one of the three Korean suspects allegedly involved in the gruesome murder of a man whose body was discovered in a barrel dumped into a Pattaya reservoir has denied any wrongdoing after being apprehended in South Korea. The suspect, a man in his 20s whose identity has not been disclosed by South Korean authorities, was taken into custody on Sunday at his residence in the city of Jeongeup, located in North Jeolla province.
The arrest followed a joint investigation by Thai and South Korean law enforcement agencies, which traced the suspect’s movements through surveillance camera footage after he reportedly returned to his home country from Thailand last week. While the suspect, identified by Thai authorities as Lee Roun, vehemently denied the allegations during questioning on Monday night, South Korean police are expected to seek a formal arrest warrant.
The grisly case unfolded on May 3 when a Korean man, believed to be Roh Eui Jong, was reported missing after allegedly being abducted by three men of South Korean nationality. Thai police have pieced together a disturbing chain of events, citing CCTV footage that captured the suspects renting a pickup truck and purchasing a large plastic barrel, purportedly at a plasticware shop in Pattaya.
The chilling evidence trail led investigators to the Map Prachan reservoir in Bang Lamung district, where security camera recordings allegedly showed one of the suspects dumping the barrel on May 5. In a macabre discovery on Saturday evening, divers recovered the barrel from the reservoir’s depths, revealing a man’s body encased within, the drum reportedly filled with concrete.
Pol Maj Gen Theeradet Thumsuthee, a Metropolitan Police Bureau investigation chief, has identified the detained suspect as Lee Roun and expressed confidence that the deceased victim is indeed Roh Eui Jong. However, authorities are awaiting the results of DNA comparisons from samples obtained from the victim’s elder sister and father to confirm the identity conclusively.
