Booze-related collegians death concluded not murder

By Kim Tae-jong

The autopsy of a Yonsei University student who was found dead after a drinking session during orientation found no evidence to support suspicion raised by his family that he might have been murdered, the National Forensic Service (NFS) said Wednesday.

The student, surnamed Cho, was found dead at the backyard of a resort hotel in Gapyeong, Gyeonggi Province in the morning on Feb. 20. Cho got severely drunk at a party to welcome freshmen the previous night.

His family raised allegations on Tuesday that Cho might have been killed by someone after a brawl with his juniors, claiming that they found bloodstains on the floor of the fifth-floor hotel room where the orientation session was being held.

However, the NFS confirmed that there was no evidence to prove that he was murdered.

“After conducting the autopsy of his body, we found no traces or proof to suspect murder,” an NFS official said.

Cho’s family claimed that the university should be responsible for the death as it neglected its duty to prevent students from binge during drinking a school event. But the university abdicated its responsibility, arguing that the misfortune took place during a private drinking session.