A Chinese man of Korean ethnicity accused of leading the kidnapping and killing of a Korean college student in Cambodia has been arrested, according to local news reports on Friday.
SBS reported that the suspect, identified as Rhee Kwang-ho, was taken into custody by local authorities at around 2 a.m. Thursday at a restaurant in Phnom Penh. He was reportedly dining with other Koreans at the time.
The college student had left Korea on July 17, telling his family he was going to visit an exhibition. On Aug. 8, he was found dead in the trunk of a truck near a suspected criminal compound adjacent to a winch facility on Bokor Mountain in Kampot Province in southern Cambodia.
Three Chinese nationals charged with murder in connection with the student's death were arrested on Oct. 10, but Rhee, considered one of the main culprits, had eluded a police dragnet.
Cambodian authorities are reportedly questioning Rhee about the details of the crime.
On Nov. 10, Korean and Cambodian authorities launched a dedicated investigation unit tasked specifically with handling crimes involving Koreans in the country.
shinjh@heraldcorp.com
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