Missing Korean Man's Body Suspected To Be Found In A Barrel In Thailand Reservoir

A man from South Korea faced a gruesome death in Thailand.

On May 11, a plastic barrel filled with cement and a dead body was found in Pattaya, Thailand. Investigators suspect that it belongs to Roh Eui Jong, a 34-year-old Korean who had recently gone missing.

The Deputy Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police Bureau, Pol. Maj. Gen. Noppasin Poonsawat, told reporters that the man in question went missing on May 7, a week after he had entered the country. His mother contacted the Korean embassy after she received a call from an unknown number asking for a three million bhat (around $82,000 USD) ransom. The man on the other end explained that her son had thrown away drugs and thus caused damaged to them.

The Korean embassy contacted Thai police to search for the missing man. They found that Roh Eui Jong had a secret Thai wife who shared that he was last seen in a bar at RCA Plaza in the Huai Khwang district. Upon reviewing their May 3 CCTV footage, they saw the missing man wearing a white shirt and being escorted by two fellow Koreans.

They headed towards a rented car which they abandoned for another rented model to hide their tracks while driving to Pattaya. The trio eventually reached their accommodation near the Mabprachan reservoir.

A day later at around 9PM, the pick-up truck was spotted leaving the house with a black cover and a black barrel at the back. Tracing further CCTV footage, police found that the men in the vehicle stopped at a store to purchase a black plastic barrel and rope. They parked the vehicle near the Mabprachan reservoir for around one hour before returning to their rented accommodation.

Thai police tracked the pick-up truck several days later and sent divers into the reservoir, finding the black barrel with the dead body inside. They have identified two suspects, one of which fled the country on May 9.