PHNOM PENH, Cambodia — A joint autopsy on the body of 22-year-old Korean university student Park, who reportedly died after being tortured in Cambodia, took place on Monday. But according to a local temple, Park is "just one of many foreigners who have died every now and then due to a heart attack."
As the officials disembarked from three black vans, gathered their equipment, and entered the mortuary chamber within Tuek Thla Pagoda, Cambodian police restricted public access during the autopsy, deploying about 50 officers around the temple.
Tuek Thla Pagoda primarily handles unclaimed foreign bodies. When reporters visited the site, a table in front of the morgue displayed a photograph of a man, believed to be a Chinese national in his 30s or 40s, along with Chinese snacks, soda, fake banknotes and flowers. Nearby tables held offerings without photographs.
“Most of the bodies brought here are of Chinese nationals in their 20s and 30s, though Koreans are also brought here every two to three months,” said a temple official.
“We often see foreigners in their 20s and 30s listed as having died of heart attacks — you have to ask whether they are really crime victims,” said a local Korean resident.
![The funeral parlor of Tuek Thla Pagoda in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, is seen on Oct. 17. [NEWS1]](https://imgnews.pstatic.net/image/640/2025/10/21/0000078578_002_20251021151312825.jpg?type=w860)
Park was found dead inside a car near the so-called "Wenchi" criminal zone in Bokor Mountain, Kampot Province, on Aug. 8. His body bore signs of physical abuse. Three Chinese nationals have been indicted in connection with the case, and two ethnic Chinese accomplices are still at large.
The joint autopsy conducted on Monday by Korean and Cambodian authorities revealed that Park showed signs of extensive bruising, but no evidence of stab wounds or organ removal. The four-hour autopsy began at 9:27 a.m. local time at Tuek Thla Pagoda in Phnom Penh, where the body of the deceased student, surnamed Park, had been kept since August.
“There were many bruises across the body, but no signs of stab wounds or stitched scars,” said a source familiar with the procedure. “While the victim was clearly beaten, that alone doesn’t establish the cause of death — we need tissue and toxicology results to confirm if other factors contributed.”
Cambodian police had initially listed the cause of death as a heart attack induced by torture, but the final determination hinges on whether toxic substances or other underlying causes are found.
Park’s cremated remains will arrive at Incheon International Airport on Tuesday morning.
The team included six Korean officials — three forensic pathologists from the NFS, a senior investigator from the National Police Agency, a North Gyeongsang Provincial Police officer and a prosecutor from the Ministry of Justice’s international crime division — along with six Cambodian personnel.
Meanwhile, of the 64 Koreans repatriated from Cambodia on Saturday for alleged involvement in criminal syndicates, prosecutors requested arrest warrants for 58 of them on charges ranging from investment scams to voice phishing and no-show fraud.
One individual had already been issued a pretrial arrest warrant and was transferred to the Busan District Prosecutors’ Office, while five others were released.
Pretrial detention hearings for the suspects were being held at regional courts in South Chungcheong, Gyeonggi and Daejeon.
“Cambodian police have conducted a raid on an online scam site on Thursday, arresting around 10 more Korean suspects and rescuing two Koreans who reported being held captive,” Foreign Minister Cho Hyun said on Monday.
The rescued individuals are expected to return home later this week.
This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
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