Mike is not the only one~Unsolved Deaths of Foreigners in Korea ~ the list continues to grow
Korea's decade old history of Killing Foreigners. Scott James Kennedy and Mr. Beau Smith "On Sept. 7, 1998, a Korean man walked into Sunchon Boys High School, located in the South of Korea near Kwangju, and asked if there was an American teacher. Due to a lack of security or concern by the Korea staff, the inturder soon found the American teacher. The man engaged him in a brief conversation, then proceeded to stab him in the back as he was walking away, going down the stairs from the second floor. The victim, Scott James Kennedy, 33, from North Dakota, died upon arrival at a hospital in Sunchon...Scott is the second American English teacher to be murdered in Korea this year.
Mr. Beau Smith, a young man from Fort Lupton Arizona, died a horrible death in Seoul after being exploited and extorted by his Korean employer who took his passport, airplane ticket and cheated him on his wages. His body was found dumped into a construction site. Is this yet another repercussion of the economic crisis sweeping through
Korea or just another example of a Korean stealing from a foreigner? In this case, his life."
Nerine Viljeon: A South African national working at a Mokpo Middle School. She was badly burned in a fire started by a drunken man. Here is a link to her Facebook page and an article at Korea4Expats. Dec 11, 2008
31 year old American "T" from Iksan {english translation of quote from ChosunIlbo}At approximately 9 am on the {June 2008} 20th, 31-year old American English instructor T was found dead in the teacher’s one-room apartment in Eoyang-dong, Iksan City in Jeollabuk-do. Police are investigating. The neighbor who alerted police said, “there had been a strange smell coming out for several days and finally I called the police.” ** update ** His death was listed as a 'suicide' which occured on June 13, 2008. No note was reported to be found at his apartment.
Bill died from extreme burns suffered in a suspicious fire. His family had to sign a waiver closing the investigation in order to bring Bill home for a funeral. Effectively, the economic status of Bills Family prevented an arson investigation.
Everything about Matthew is a mystery. Matthew died in police custody in 2003.In 2002 he was awarded the Silver Certificate by Seoul's Mayor for Matthew's contributions (unpaid) for assisting Seoul City in preparing for the the 2002 World Cup.
Jamie Penich
Found murdered in her hotel room in Seoul. The University of Pittsburgh student's murder remains another example of diplomatic head turning and police disinterest in justice.