Chinese couple charged with murder of South Korean influencer in Cambodia
A Chinese couple has been arraigned before a Cambodian court for the murder of a popular South Korean influencer.
Lai Wenshao, 30, and Cai Huijuan, 39, were charged on Tuesday with “murder accompanied by torture”.
Prosecutor Plang Sophal told the media that the couple, who runs a medical clinic, was arrested last week after the body of BJ Ahyeong was found, dumped in a pit on the outskirts of Phnom Penh.
Wenshao and Huijuan told the police that they abandoned the woman’s body after she had seizures and died while receiving treatment at their clinic on June 4.
They face life imprisonment if convicted of the charge.
BJ Ahyeong, 33, whose real name was Byun Ah-yeong, was an influencer for AfreecaTV, a South Korean video streaming service, and had more than 250,000 followers on Instagram.
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 said.
AFP
