{
  "id": 2059678,
  "title": "South Korean duo to stand trial in Vietnam for beating restaurant owner to death with laughing gas canister",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/20/south-korean-duo-to-stand-trial-in-vietnam-for-beating-restaurant",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-08-20T02:38:21.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "VnExpress International",
    "slug": "vnexpress-international",
    "url": "https://e.vnexpress.net/news/news/crime/south-korean-duo-to-stand-trial-in-vietnam-for-beating-restaurant-owner-to-death-with-laughing-gas-canister-5109518.html"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Kim Jin, 31, and Kang Yo Han, 30, South Korean nationals, are set to face trial in Ho Chi Minh City People's Court on August 25, accused of murdering a restaurant owner. The indictment lists two aggravating factors, which could result in a sentence of 12 to 20 years in prison, life imprisonment, or even the death penalty. On December 28, 2024, at around 12:40 a.m., Kim and Kang arrived at a restaurant on Tran Hung Dao Street, downtown Ho Chi Minh City, to drink and sing karaoke. Meanwhile, Kim and Kang's friend Lee Chang Dae and three other South Koreans were also present at the Bui Vien walking street area.\n\nAt approximately 2:30 a.m., Lee Chang Dae accidentally broke an LED screen in a third-floor room, prompting restaurant staff to demand compensation. Arguments ensued between the two groups, escalating when one customer allegedly assaulted several servers. The restaurant's owner and manager, both South Korean, were notified, and a scuffle broke out. The owner ordered three customers to kneel on the floor, and the manager called the police. Simultaneously, one of the group members informed Kim Jin that his friend had been beaten, prompting Kim Jin to request Kang Yo Han's assistance.\n\nUpon arrival, neighborhood police and security personnel took positions outside the karaoke room. Kim Jin seized a rubber baton from a patrol officer and entered the room, slamming the door behind them. Inside, he and Kang Yo Han attacked the owner and the manager. Kim Jin is alleged to have struck the owner in the head with a metal nitrous oxide canister from inside the room, causing him to collapse. The manager survived with injuries assessed at 87% of his body affected, while the owner tragically died before the police could intervene. The owner's legal representative is demanding compensation exceeding VND5.2 billion (US$198,900), while the manager's request surpasses VND3.1 billion ($118,500). The families of Kim Jin, Kang Yo Han, and the two victims have contributed VND400 million ($15,300) and VND120 million ($4,590), respectively, towards compensating the victims.",
  "summary": "Two South Korean men will be brought to court next week fore beating a South Korean restaurant owner in Ho Chi Minh City to death with a nitrous oxide canister after a dispute over an LED screen damaged in one of his karaoke rooms.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}