New Zealand police charge 2 men in slaying of South Korean backpacker
Tuesday 24 June 2008
By: The Associated Press
WELLINGTON, New Zealand
New Zealand police charged two men Tuesday in the slaying of a South Korean backpacker who disappeared five years ago during a working holiday in New Zealand.
Fisherman Shannon Brent Flewellen, 28, appeared in Nelson District Court on South Island jointly charged with murder in the death of Jae Hyeon Kim, 25. He was remanded in custody to reappear on Thursday.
Police declined to identify the second person accused, though police expect him to appear in court Thursday.
Kim arrived in New Zealand in February 2003 and was reported missing by his family in May 2004, five months after he failed to return home.
Detective Inspector John Winter said that although no body had been found, police confirmed Kim's death to the Korean Consulate, who contacted his family in Pusan, South Korea.
"Not only do we believe categorically that Mr. Kim is dead, but it's highly unlikely that he met his death as a result of accident or natural causes," he said.
The exact date of Kim's death remained unclear, but Winter said it was likely to have been between Sept. 29 and Oct. 22, 2003.
Murder carries a life sentence in New Zealand, which normally amounts to serving 10 years in prison before parole.
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