SEOUL, SOUTH KOREA – The Supreme Court upheld long prison sentences for three South Korean men who abducted, robbed and killed a compatriot during a trip to Pattaya.
Supreme Court confirms long prison terms
South Korea’s Supreme Court ruled on Thursday that the lower court verdicts in the so‑called “Pattaya Barrel Murder” would stand, leaving earlier convictions in place. The 28-year-old ringleader Lee Yong Jin received life imprisonment, while 40-year-old accomplice Lee Roun was sentenced to 30 years and 27-year-old Kim Haeonne Won to 25 years in prison. The court thus confirmed guilty verdicts on charges including murder, robbery and desecration of a corpse.
Prosecutors had described the men as offenders with an “antisocial” disposition who had shown no respect for human life.
Tourist abducted after night out in Bangkok
The victim, 34-year-old Roh Eui Jong from Seoul, had travelled to Bangkok in May 2024 with his Thai wife. He was last seen on 2 May in a pub in the RCA entertainment district. In the early hours of 3 May, surveillance cameras captured how two of the perpetrators intercepted him on the street at about 2 a.m., forced him into a rental car and drove in the direction of Pattaya.
Planning near Mapprachan reservoir
After arriving in Pattaya, the group switched to a rented white pickup truck and took accommodation near the Mapprachan reservoir in Banglamung district. There they bought a large plastic barrel, nylon ropes and scissors in a hardware store, paying in cash. According to video footage, the pickup left the rental parking area at about 9 p.m. on 4 May with its cargo bed covered by a black tarpaulin and drove directly to the reservoir.
Ransom demand and grim discovery
Shortly afterwards, Roh’s family received a ransom demand for 3 million baht (about 82,000 US dollars). Via an online messenger, the perpetrators threatened to kill Roh, dismember him and sell his organs on the black market if the money was not paid by 8 May. Roh’s mother in South Korea alerted the authorities, prompting a joint investigation by South Korean and Thai agencies.
On 11 May, police in Pattaya searched the Mapprachan reservoir and found a plastic barrel weighted with cement that had been submerged in the water. Inside were the dismembered remains of the 34-year-old; an autopsy determined that Roh had been beaten to death, and his wallet, mobile phone and cash were missing.
Flight abroad and international arrests
After disposing of the body, the three perpetrators left Thailand immediately. The criminal chamber of the South Criminal Court in Bangkok issued international arrest warrants on 15 May 2024. Lee Roun was later arrested in Phnom Penh in Cambodia, Kim Haeonne Won was detained in Vietnam, and Lee Yong Jin was apprehended at a family home in Jeongeup, about 200 kilometres south of Seoul.
Investigators found indications that the group had previously robbed other South Korean travellers, including through voice phishing, in which they posed as government officials.
Public reaction and safety measures
The case attracted extensive media attention in both countries. Thai authorities subsequently increased police presence in fraud hotspots, while South Korean bodies issued travel warnings about organized criminal gangs. Roh’s family welcomed the ruling as a delayed form of justice but continued to suffer from their loss, and his wife refrained from public comment for security reasons.
With the Supreme Court’s decision, a case that had begun as a holiday and ended in a reservoir near Pattaya reached its legal conclusion.