Five South Koreans found dead in hotel ‘made internet suicide pact’

FIVE South Koreans found dead in a hotel room are thought to have made an internet suicide pact, police say.

The five three men and two women, all aged between 19 and 29 apparently killed themselves by drinking a lethal cocktail laced with cyanide.

An empty bottle of the poison was found beside their bodies at the hotel in the city of Suwon. Police suspect they were strangers who met via the internet and agreed to commit suicide together. Investigations show they came from different parts of the country, including the capital Seoul, and the cities of Miryang, Kwangju and Paju.

An employee at the hotel said the three men checked in on Saturday afternoon.

She said she discovered the five bodies on Monday night when she went to settle the bill for the room.

Post-mortem examinations have yet to be carried out, but police said the five appeared to have drunk cyanide combined with alcoholic and soft drinks.

Suicide notes were found in the hotel room and on the internet, police said.

The victims, who were all in their 20s, were later identified as Lee, Park, Min, Song and Moon.

In the room, half a bottle of potassium cyanide was found along with bottles of beer, soju and soft drinks.

In Lee's four-page will he wrote: "I am about to end my life in this world. I regret I continued living, and I feel sorry for my family".

The police are tracking down their internet IP addresses and mobile phone call lists to determine if the five met through an internet suicide site.