The murder of Jong Ok Shin, a student who came to Britain to learn English, became a diplomatic incident. After three trials finally resulted in Omar Benguit’s conviction, Joon-ha Ju, first secretary for the Embassy of the Republic of Korea, praised British determination.
“This young, promising lady had her life snatched away from her in a cruel and brutal way,” the diplomat said. “I would like to thank the UK authorities for ensuring justice.”
In submissions to the Criminal Cases Review Commission by Benguit’s adviser, Giovanni di Stefano, he said: “Given the salience of the case, a factor highlighted by the attendance of a member of the Korean Embassy at each of the trials, there may have been some pressure on police to resolve the case by way of a successful conviction.”
Language schools in Bournemouth had welcomed the verdict with a representative telling the Bournemouth Echo: “I began to think ‘what would happen if there was never a guilty verdict. What would they think in Korea’?”