Recently, amid rising public anxiety over various criminal incidents in Cambodia targeting Koreans, such as employment scams and confinement cases, the death two years ago of a female streamer has once again attracted attention.
On June 6, 2023, the body of a Korean woman in her 30s was found at a construction site in Kandal province near Cambodia's capital, Phnom Penh.
At the time of discovery, the body was reported to have been wrapped in a red cloth and dumped in a puddle. The woman was known as an internet broadcaster traveling in Cambodia, and local media identified the victim as streamer Ayoung.
Local police arrested a Chinese couple in their 30s who run a hospital on charges including abandoning a body. They said Ayoung had received an antibody injection and treatment at the hospital, suddenly had a seizure and died, and in panic they disposed of the body.
However, some raised questions based on the fact that Ayoung's body was severely swollen and that signs of assault were found, and local police investigated whether the hospital had official approval from health authorities and whether there was any malpractice during treatment. They also conducted an autopsy on the body, and Korean police demanded a thorough investigation from the local authorities.
The case drew significant attention after being covered by SBS Unanswered Questions. The Unanswered Questions team interviewed experts and local Cambodian police.
At the time, local police said, "The cause of death appears to be asphyxiation. That is why the hospital suspected a drug side effect," adding, "We could not confirm trauma such as torture on the body. A drug test was done and it was negative. The victim was not wearing a top of underwear and had her underwear bottom on inside out. So we suspected sexual assault."
Among the Chinese couple arrested on charges including abandoning a body and jailed in prison, the husband told the Unanswered Questions production team, "She asked him to give her a shot, but I did not give it. There were already injection marks on her body before that. Since I did not give the shot, she just fell asleep. Later I saw her foaming at the mouth and unconscious, so I gave her emergency medicine and supplied oxygen, but she died."
Meanwhile, streamer Ayoung was a well-known influencer with 160,000 subscribers on AfreecaTV and 250,000 followers on Instagram. Ayoung had said she would retire from streaming before going to Cambodia.
[Photo] SNS
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