Mysterious deaths of Korean livestreamer Ah-young and TV host Seo Se-won in Cambodia reexamined amid safety warnings
Ah-young, left, and Seo Se-won / Xportsnews
As Cambodia faces a surge in crimes involving South Koreans including kidnapping and illegal confinement, the mysterious 2023 deaths of Korean livestreamer Ah-young and TV host Seo Se-won are being reexamined by the public.
Ah-young, a 33-year-old content creator, traveled to Cambodia with an acquaintance in 2023 and was found dead four days later near a construction site in Kandal Province, on the outskirts of Phnom Penh.
Local police arrested a Chinese couple in their 30s who owned a hospital where Ah-young had been treated. The couple reportedly told authorities that she suffered seizures after receiving an antibody injection and died unexpectedly, prompting them to panic and dispose of her body.
However, reports later revealed bruising and signs of physical assault on her body. Police also said her underwear had been found worn inside out, raising suspicions of sexual assault, which the suspects denied. Investigators examined whether the clinic had government authorization and whether malpractice or negligence contributed to her death.
Korean investigative programs such as SBS’s “Unanswered Questions” and TV Chosun’s “Exploration Seven” later revisited the case, but no definitive cause of death was found and no criminal conviction followed.
Seo Se-won’s death also raises unanswered questions
In the same year, veteran South Korean entertainer Seo Se-won died after reportedly suffering cardiac arrest while receiving an IV drip at a Phnom Penh hospital in April 2023.
The sudden death shocked fans and triggered speculation over its circumstances. Seo’s family requested that his body be repatriated for autopsy, but local conditions made this impossible and the cremation was carried out in Cambodia. The cause of death remains unclear.
The renewed attention to these two deaths comes as South Korea’s Foreign Ministry has raised travel warnings for Cambodia.
Amid a rise in job scams, abductions and unlawful detentions, authorities issued a Level 4 “Do Not Travel” alert for some regions as of Oct. 16, and upgraded advisories for other parts of the country.
This article from Xportsnews is adapted by a generative AI system and edited by The Korea Times.