Cambodian authorities recover and investigate the body of a female Korean live streamer from a pond near Phnom Penh. (Courtesy of Rasmei Kampuchea Daily)
A Chinese couple has been arrested by the Cambodian police on suspicion of murder after the body of a female live streamer of Korean nationality was found near Phnom Penh, officials and reports said Sunday.
The woman in her 30s was found dead on June 6, wrapped in a blanket and dumped in a pond, according to Cambodian newspaper Rasmei Kampuchea Daily. Local villagers discovered her body and alerted the police.
The Cambodian police soon identified the victim as a Korean woman with over 250,000 followers on social media. She had announced her retirement from her live streaming career last year.
The Cambodian authorities arrested the Chinese couple in their 30s who own a hospital as the suspects in her murder. The couple reportedly told the police that the victim died after receiving treatment at the hospital on June 4.
The police suspect the couple to have disposed of the victim’s body to avoid punishment.
The cause of her death remained undetermined as of Sunday noon. The Cambodian police are still waiting for the autopsy report.
The Korean police said they have requested that the Cambodian police do a thorough investigation of the case.
While the identity of the live streamer has been officially withheld, social media users are speculating the victim as BJ Ah Young, who was a popular streamer on AfreecaTV, one of South Korea’s biggest live streaming service platforms, prior to her retirement last year.