S Koreans in 'net suicide pact'

Police suspect the five met through the internet

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

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 alongside their bodies at the hotel in the city of Suwon.

Police suspect they were strangers who met through 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 told the Korea Times newspaper that 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.

They said chopsticks had been used to mix the deadly cocktail.

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