Phuket - A South Korean tour guide fell from his death from the 19th floor of a hotel in this tourist destination island.

Police said a security officer of the Metropole Phuket found the body of Kim Kyoung Hoon, 39, on the ground of the car park at 6:30 am.

Police found the man's briefcase on the rooftop of the hotel, which is the 19th floor. The topfloor has a wall, which is about 2 metre-high and police found a paint can near one side of the wall.

Police said the man returned to his room at 10 pm Thursday and it was not clear when he fell down.

Police said the briefcase carried court documents, which stated that he was a witness in a case of lawsuit between Koreans related to cheques.

The Nation

Police said the briefcase carried court documents, which stated that he was a witness in a case of lawsuit between Koreans related to cheques.

Call me a total skeptic but how would the Keystone Phuket cops figure all of this out as it was probably written in Korean? The coppers can't stake out a corner where foreigners get wiped off their motorbikes and now they can figure out why this guy lost is life to gravity?

My guess is that he was an unlicensed tour guide and this is a message, timed conveniently at the beginning of high season.

Maybe the court case was here in Thailand and that's why he had his briefcase full of documents?

just a guess

From the Phuket Gazette:

Mystery surrounds Korean’s death plunge

PHUKET CITY (Nation, Gazette): South Korean tour guide Kim Kyoung Hoon, 39, fell to his death from the rooftop of The Metropole hotel in downtown Phuket City early this morning.

Capt Krerkrit Ritnuang, of Phuket City Police Station, said that a hotel security officer found the body of Mr Kim, who was not a guest at the hotel, lying in the hotel car park at 6:30 am.

Mr Kim’s briefcase was found on the rooftop, along with a paint can near a two-meter-high retaining wall, Capt Krerkrit said.

The briefcase contained court documents stating that Mr Kim was a witness in a lawsuit between Koreans relating to a financial dispute involving checks, he added.

A spokesperson for the hotel this afternoon told the Gazette that hotel security cameras had recorded Mr Kim on the premises before his fall.

A hotel security guard also saw him park his car and climb fire exit stairs towards the roof, the spokesperson added.

After an “urgent meeting” with staff from the Korean embassy late this afternoon, Capt Krerkrit told the Gazette that the embassy believes Mr Kim did not take his own life.

The Gazette late last month received an email from a Korean national alleging that Kim Kyoung Hoon had assaulted him at a Korean restaurant near Villa California on September 23.

The accuser, who gave his name and contact details and identified himself as manager of a tourism-related website, said he reported the incident to the Phuket City Police and posted accusations against Mr Kim on various Korean-language websites, demanding a public apology for the assault.

what's up with the paint can? was he planning on making the plunge into the artistic world or did he use the can as a way to climb over the wall to make his journey across the river styx?

MiniVDO: Phuket Police focus on finance and personal problems as motives to a Korean businessman’s suicide.

To see or download mini-video, go to http://www.thaisnews.com/news_detail.php?newsid=215174

Phuket City police on Friday examined a fractured body of a 42 year old Korean Kim Kyung Hun who jumped off the 19th floor of the Metropole Hotel in the city centre. The man carried a Korean passport and name card so police could identify him as a manager of Korean Tour Land Cool and Cool Marketing. The incident occurred early morning on Friday after he drove guests into a hotel, got in a lift to the 19th floor and around an hour later he jumped off the roof. Initial information given to police by his friends, stated that the man had a problem with a financial case awaiting procedure at the Phuket town police while police still investigate other motives.

from Andaman News TV11 (VHF dial) 8.30am + maybe FM90.5 Radio Thailand 6pm, both broadcast to Phang Nga, Krabi & Phuket provinces, FM108 Mazz Radio 7.30pm in Phuket & Phuket Cable TV Channel 1 at 7, 10.30 or 11pm, Monday 5 November 2007 & www.Thaisnews.com

Case closed on Korean’s death plunge

PHUKET CITY: Police investigations following the death of Korean tour guide Kim Kyoung Hoon, 39, who fell to his death from the rooftop of The Metropole hotel in downtown Phuket City on November 2, have concluded that Mr Kim’s death was the result of suicide.

Phuket City Police Capt Krerkrit Ritnuang told the Gazette that Korean embassy officials initially suspected that Mr Kim’s death may not have been suicide but investigations have revealed no evidence to conclude that he was murdered.”

“The case has been closed and our findings will be sent to the Public Prosecutor and the Phuket Governor,” Capt Krerkrit added.

From the Phuket Gazette.

We never did find out what the paint can had to do with it.

Presumably used to help him jump over the high wall?

RIP

Presumably used to help him jump over the high wall?

RIP

Perhaps he was going to paint a ladder on the wall !