Another suspect behind murder of Korean tourist in Pattaya arrested in Cambodia

A suspect behind the murder and abandonment of a body involving a Korean tourist in Pattaya who was arrested Sunday evening is escorted by police officers for questioning in Jeongeup, North Jeolla Province, May 13. Yonhap

A Korean man has been arrested in Cambodia for his alleged involvement in the murder of a Korean tourist and abandoning his body in Thailand, officials said Tuesday.

The suspect, 27, was nabbed at a lodging in Phnom Penh at around midnight following a tip-off that a Korean suspected of involvement in the case was spotted in the area.

Police have been tracing the whereabouts of the man after confirming that he had fled to Cambodia. He is one of three Koreans suspected of kidnapping and murdering a South Korean national in his 30s in Thailand's eastern beach resort of Pattaya.

Over the weekend, Thai police discovered the victim's body inside a black plastic container filled with cement in a reservoir in Pattaya after his mother received a warning from an unknown man that her son would be killed if a ransom was not paid, according to local media and the Korean Embassy in Thailand.

The police plan to negotiate with the Cambodian police to facilitate the extradition of the suspect, who is currently in their custody.

Meanwhile, the police are still going after the last remaining suspect in the case, who is known to have fled to a neighboring country from Thailand.

On Sunday, the police arrested one of the suspects in the case in the southeastern city of Jeongeup. The police sought a warrant to formally arrest the man on charges of being an accessory in the crime and not murder, citing the suspect's denial of involvement in the case. (Yonhap)