Body of glamorous South Korean influencer BJ Ahyeong is found dumped in a pit weeks after she quit her social media career
A glamorous South Korean influencer has been found dead and dumped in a pit in Cambodia weeks after she quit her social media career.
The body of BJ Ahyeong – a K-pop DJ with 500,000 followers – was discovered covered in bruises and wrapped in a red rug in a ditch in the country’s Kandal province on June 6. Cops say her neck appears to have been broken.
Cambodian cops have since arrested and charged a Chinese couple with ‘murder accompanied by torture’ after 33-year-old Ahyeong was last seen alive at the medical clinic they run.
Lai Wenshao, 30, and his girlfriend Cai Huijuan, 39, testified to police that they abandoned the woman’s body after she had seizures and died while receiving treatment at their clinic on June 4, reports said. They face life imprisonment if convicted of the charge.
BJ Ahyeong was an influencer for AfreecaTV, a South Korean video streaming service, with hundreds of thousands of followers on Instagram.
According to South Korean media, her real name was Byun Ah-yeong. She posted on social media in March that she was giving up her influencer persona and was going to ‘live as a normal person for the time being’.
On Tuesday, Lim Soo-suk, spokesman for South Korea’s foreign ministry, said local authorities were investigating the ‘unfortunate incident’.
‘The foreign ministry is providing necessary consular assistance to the bereaved family in a timely manner,’ he added.
Cops traced her last steps and questioned the Chinese couple running the salon.
They claimed Ah Yeong died at their clinic on June 4, shortly before 6pm, when she had a seizure while being given a saline drop with the brand name Sheng Li Yan Shui.
They allegedly panicked and wrapped her in a red mat, tied it up, and stuffed her in the trunk of a Toyota Prius before driving more than 50 miles away to dump the body in the neighbouring region.
Despite the alleged confession, officers said they continue to collect evidence and build a case before the couple are sent to court.
Kandal Stung District Police said in a statement: ‘In cooperation with the criminal force of the Kandal Provincial Commissioner and the Provincial Armed Forces, we are conducting an investigation into this brutal murder case, and we are searching for any witnesses who may have seen any strangers in the area or vehicle to transport the body.’
Beauty-obsessed Ah Yeong reportedly visited Cambodia with a friend to have a vacation but was found traced to have checked in to the couple’s clinic.
When locals found her decomposing body ditched in the sewers and wrapped in cloth, Cambodian police initially thought she was from China and had been sexually trafficked or held hostage – a common crime among those from Communist China.
However, the victim was identified as a South Korean BJ – broadcast jockey – who had arrived as a tourist.
Her body appeared to have been brutalised and beaten, covered in bruises, but authorities are still waiting for the post-mortem examination result to ascertain the cause of death.
Officers said they are investigating whether Ah Yeong suffered the injuries before she died or the bones were broken and bruised when the corpse was disposed of.
The Chinese couple have been remanded in custody while investigations are ongoing.
The Kandal Stung District Police said: ‘The Embassy for South Korea has been informed and the family of the victim has been contacted. They will provide extra information through the diplomatic channels to assist the police investigation.’