By Chang May Choon
IT started with two Korean guys glancing at two Chinese chaps inside a hamburger joint in central Sydney, Australia.
An old photograph of the Lee brothers with their mum.
The latter scowled: 'Kan shen me kan!' That's Mandarin for 'What are you looking at?'
An argument ensued, ending with a stabbing across the road. One Korean was killed and the other critically injured, reported The Chosun Ilbo.
The dead man has been identified as the younger brother of Korean actor Lee Dong Gun, of My Boyfriend Is Type B fame. The younger Lee, 19, was studying at the University Of Sydney. He was taken to hospital but died from a massive loss of blood.
His 20-year-old Korean friend, who was with him, survived with multiple stab wounds to his upper body, reported The Sydney Morning Herald. The incident happened at World Square Complex near Chinatown just before 1am last Thursday.
It was captured on the 20 security cameras installed in the area.
GANG MEMBERS
The Australian police believe the attackers - two 18-year-old Chinese students - are members of a new criminal gang called Yee Tong. They fled the scene in a taxi but were arrested shortly after.
Dong Gun, 28, flew to Sydney with his parents last Thursday afternoon. He was known to be very close to his brother, despite their age gap.
Yesterday, a grief-stricken Dong Gun was seen holding his brother's portrait during a memorial service at the latter's university. About 100 friends and classmates attended the service, reported My Daily.
The younger Lee's body was then cremated. Dong Gun and his family are said to be returning to Seoul tomorrow. A funeral service will be held there next Monday.
A report in My Daily quoted a spokesman for Dong Gun's management agency saying that the actor has been grieving and not speaking for the past few days. He reportedly broke down in tears while identifying his brother's body at the morgue last week.
Known to be a doting older brother, Dong Gun once thought of quitting a TV serial when he heard that his sibling got teased by friends because of the comic character he played.
The Australian police have yet to establish a motive for the attack, which came as a shock to the Korean community in Sydney. The Daily Telegraph quoted a police spokesman as saying the attack was 'idiotic' and 'senseless'.
He added that such attackers 'have a point to prove' and did not care about the extensive security camera surveillance in the area.
ARGUMENT
The stabbing occurred after an argument between the two groups, but the police said there was no evidence to suggest it was instigated by the victims. The row is said to have started inside a Hungry Jacks outlet.
The four men then left the outlet and crossed the road. A fight broke out among them. Security footage showed one of the Korean guys going into a grocery and video store and collapsing inside. Both were eventually found lying near each other in the streets, covered with stab wounds.
The two attackers left in a cab, but its driver notified the police after dropping them off - which led to an arrest at a nearby railway station just 17 minutes after the stabbing. Both were living in north-west Sydney.
They were charged in court yesterday with murder, causing wounding or grievous bodily harm to a person with intent to murder, and common assault. The Sydney Morning Herald reported that the Yee Tong gang emerged in the Sydney business district last year, and its members prey on Asian students and extort cash from them.
Meanwhile, fans of Dong Gun have been going online to show their support for him. It has been a bad year so far for the actor. He broke up with his long-time actress girlfriend Han Ji Hye in January. Last month, he was expelled from university as he missed too many classes due to filming.
On the popular Popseoul forum, fans sent their condolences. Netizen SP wrote: 'How sad and unfortunate. My prayers are with the family... even when I personally don't know them.'
Source: The Electric New Paper
http://newpaper.asia1.com.sg/show/story/0,...,160369,00.html
