A photo from her last Instagram post shows a South Korean social media influencer who went by the name BJ Ahyeong, identified by South Korean media as Byun Ah-yeong, who was found dead on the outskirts of Cambodia's capital Phnom Penh in mid-June 2023. INSTAGRAM/LOVELY_AHYEONG

A Cambodian court has charged a Chinese couple with murder after a popular South Korean influencer's body was dumped in a pit on the outskirts of Phnom Penh, a prosecutor said on Wednesday. The Chinese couple, who run a medical clinic, were arrested last week after the body of BJ Ahyeong was found, according to a Cambodian police report.

Lai Wenshao, 30, and Cai Huijuan, 39, testified to police that they abandoned the woman's body after she had seizures and died while receiving treatment at their clinic on June 4, the report said.

Prosecutor Plang Sophal told AFP that Lai and Cai were charged on Tuesday with "murder accompanied by torture".

They face life imprisonment if convicted of the charge.

BJ Ahyeong was an influencer for AfreecaTV, a South Korean video streaming service, with more than 250,000 followers on Instagram.

According to South Korean media, her real name was Byun Ah-yeong and she was 33 years old.

She posted on social media in March that she was giving up her influencer persona and was going to "live as a normal person for the time being".

On Tuesday, Lim Soo-suk, spokesman for South Korea's foreign ministry, said local authorities were investigating the "unfortunate incident".

"The foreign ministry is providing necessary consular assistance to the bereaved family in a timely manner," he said.

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