South Korean student murdered: man to face court in Brisbane

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/dec/20/south-korean-student-murdered-brisbane

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A man is due to appear in a Brisbane court charged with murdering a South Korean exchange student.

Police found the body of Min Tae Kim, 28, in a shallow grave at a house in Algester, south of the city, on Thursday.

Kim, who had spent the past two years in Australia, disappeared on Monday after leaving his share house to exchange $15,000 in Australian cash for South Korean currency.

Police on Friday said they had charged a 28-year-old man with murder. A second man and a woman who assisted police with the investigation are not expected to face charges, police said.

Kim had been preparing to return home in January after he had worked hard in Australia to build a nest egg to take home.

Police said he had placed an ad on the Gumtree website looking for someone who would give him a good exchange rate – a common practice among the South Korean community in Australia.

On Monday he left his share house for the rendezvous. His house mates never saw him again.

The man charged with Kim's murder will front the Brisbane Magistrates Court on Friday morning.

The murder is the second in a month involving a South Korean student in Brisbane.

Eunji Ban, 22, had recently arrived in Australia when she was bashed to death near a park in Brisbane's inner city last month. A man has been charged with her murder.

The two cases are not linked.

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