Jisoo Han

Jisoo Han (; born ) is a South Korean underwater diving instructor who was held in Honduras. She was jailed for 110 days and was placed under house arrest for 306 days in connection with the death of Dutch tourist Mariska Mast at the Honduran island of Roatán. Han proclaimed her innocence and appealed to roommate Daniel Ian Ross, a suspect in the case who fled to Australia, to come forward and exonerate her.

Han's uncle Sung-ho Choi filed petitions for her release with Amnesty International. The case was brought to the attention of South Korean president Lee Myung-bak and Honduran president Porfirio Lobo Sosa. On October 16, 2010, Han was acquitted of the murder and remains in Honduras pending the outcome of an appeal by the prosecution.

Background Han lived in the West End district of Roatán while training to be a Divemaster. Han came to Roatán on June 10, 2008, to learn to become a scuba diving instructor. She assisted instructor Daniel Ian Ross, then 29 years old, in the course of her PADI Divemaster training at Coconut Tree Divers. She moved into Ross' apartment in the West End district on August 15 to save money by sharing the rent. Ross, a dual citizen of the United Kingdom and Australia, allegedly arrived in March of that year and may have been working illegally in Roatán at that time.

Death of Mariska Mast On August 21, 2008, 23-year-old Mariska Esmeralda Mast, a schoolteacher from the Netherlands, took a diving course at Coconut Tree Divers with Ross and other instructors. Han said she was preparing for her instructor exam outside of the dive shop at that time.

According to Han, she met Mast for the first time that evening at the Purple Turtle bar, while accompanied by Ross and other guests. Mehsner said Mast drank with Ross that night and was infatuated with him; Mast told Mehsner that Ross had kissed her. Han stated that she went home alone at around 11:30 p.m. to go to sleep. Ross and Mast arrived at the apartment minutes later. Han said she brought some ice to tend to a cut above Masts' eye and returned to bed after Ross said he could handle the situation. Han allegedly woke up at around 6 a.m. when Ross yelled her name because Mast was having trouble breathing. Han said Mast was naked in Ross' bed and had defecated on herself. while a memorial was being held for Mast. Han said she had not seen Ross since. Honduran forensic pathologist Heybee Yessenia Caballero reported that Mast's bruises were consistent with defensive injuries and concluded her death was a "homicide, from the legal medical point of view." An international arrest warrant was issued for Ross through Interpol.

According to Han, she passed her Divemaster certification about a month after the incident and left Roatán. After staying in the United States for about three weeks, she returned to South Korea. At the end of December 2008, Han went to Dahab, Egypt where she taught diving to other Koreans. Three days after Han's arrest, Ross fled from Singapore to Australia, which does not have an extradition treaty with Honduras, and denied responsibility for the death through his lawyers. Australian authorities will not honor an Interpol red notice, which requests extradition.

Media coverage and reaction

Han publicly appealed to Ross to come forward and exonerate her. Mariska's sister Amanda said that Ross never contacted the Mast family to explain what had happened.

Dutch journalist Peter R. de Vries attempted to interview Daniel Ian Ross in Australia about the case. In August 2010, Dutch crime reporter Peter R. de Vries traveled to Subiaco, Western Australia to interview Ross about the case. On September 6, a Western Australian magistrate rejected an application by Ross for a restraining order against De Vries, who had by then left the country. On November 14, De Vries aired a 3 hour investigative program about the case on Dutch television. A follow-up report aired on November 22, 2010.

After the verdict was announced, Daniel Ian Ross announced through his lawyer from Australia that he was "delighted" that the court case supported his claim that he was not responsible for the death of Mariska Mast. However, Honduran authorities are still seeking Ross for questioning over Mast's death in his apartment.