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Cremated remains of Korean killed in Cambodia to arrive in Korea on Tuesday

Published: 20 Oct. 2025, 21:37

Cambodian police officials are seen at a temple in Phnom Penh on Oct. 20, where an autopsy of a Korean student allegedly tortured to death in the country was scheduled to take place. [YONHAP]

The cremated remains of a Korean university student who was allegedly tortured to death by a criminal organization in Cambodia will be repatriated and arrive on Tuesday, police said Monday.

The National Police Agency said in a press notice that the remains of the 22-year-old student, surnamed Park, will depart Cambodia at 11:30 p.m. Monday and are scheduled to arrive at Incheon International Airport at 7 a.m. Tuesday.

The remains will be delivered to the bereaved family members after arriving at the airport.

Korean and Cambodian investigators conducted a joint autopsy of the body earlier in the day at a temple in Phnom Penh, months after Park was found dead in August near Bokor Mountain, where employment scams and detentions targeting Koreans have happened. The autopsy started at 10:35 a.m. and lasted for three hours. Cremation began at 1:40 p.m.

His body had been kept at the morgue of the temple for more than two months. Following the autopsy, police said there was no damage to the body, and the exact cause of death will be determined after further examinations in Korea.

Korean investigators arrive at a temple in Phnom Penh on Oct. 20, where an autopsy of a Korean student allegedly tortured to death in the country was scheduled to take place. [YONHAP]

The death of the student, who was lured into Cambodia by a criminal ring, has triggered public outcry in Korea, prompting the government to send a delegation to the country last week to address crimes against its citizens. Korea's NPA said the cause of Park's death will be determined after further investigation, adding the autopsy did not find signs of organ damage.

"An exact cause of death will be confirmed after compiling the investigative results of both countries, including tissue examination and drug and toxin tests scheduled to take place in Korea," it said in a press notice.

After the autopsy, Park's body was cremated. His remains will be repatriated to Korea after consultations with Cambodian authorities, police said.

Park left for the Southeast Asian country on July 17, telling his family that he was attending an exhibition there. He was found dead inside a car on Aug. 8, with signs of torture on his body, according to local police. On Oct. 10, Cambodian authorities reportedly indicted three Chinese nationals on charges of killing the student. Local police are looking for two other Chinese nationals who took part in the crime. A key suspect accused of luring the student into opening a bank account before arranging his travel to Cambodia has also recently been placed under arrest in Korea.

Yonhap