Children are the most vulnerable in society. So what happens when they become the predator? In this first part, we talk about children who have murdered other children and ones who have murdered their own families.
What was true about Yoo Young-Chul and what was urban myth? How badly did the authorities mess this up? Have things changed? We analyze what the psych and criminology experts have written about this case.
Angel Earl Joel Bonomini Devon Hiphner Gabi Palomino Steve Marsh Eva Sikora Hunter Winter Cecilia Löfgren Dumas Ashley Wright Edward Bradford Boram Yoon Chad Struhs Stewart MacMillan Louise Dreisig
Serial Killer Yoo Young-chul, Part 4: Separating Fact from Fiction
When we started researching Yoo Young-chul, we expected to spend most of our time reading about the murders. Instead, we found ourselves spending almost as much time untangling the myths that have grown around him over the past twenty years.
That isn’t unusual. Every notorious serial killer eventually develops a mythology. Newspapers embellish details. Television dramatizes events. Internet forums fill in the blanks with speculation until people can no longer remember which parts were actually documented and which parts were simply repeated often enough to become “facts.”
Yoo Young-chul is no exception.
This final episode isn’t really about the murders. We’ve already covered those. Instead, it’s about everything that came afterward. What did psychologists conclude? What did criminologists learn? Where did the police fail? And what stories about Yoo still circulate today despite there being little or no evidence for them?
Was Yoo Young-chul really a criminal genius?
One thing that becomes obvious when reading Yoo’s interviews is how badly he wanted people to think he was smarter than everyone else.
He bragged constantly. He exaggerated. He claimed responsibility for crimes that weren’t his. He made shocking statements that were impossible to verify. Some people have taken those claims at face value ever since.
The reality is almost the opposite.
Yoo certainly planned his crimes. He adapted when his methods stopped working, and he paid attention to details that reduced the chances of being caught. But he also made some astonishing mistakes. In fact, he was ultimately arrested because he became predictable. The same phone number kept appearing. The same types of victims kept disappearing. It wasn’t some brilliant piece of detective work that brought everything together. It was people in Seoul’s criminal underground comparing notes.
There’s a certain irony there. The man who wanted to be remembered as a criminal mastermind was ultimately undone by ordinary pattern recognition.
The motive wasn’t as simple as he claimed
Yoo liked to portray himself as someone carrying out social justice. According to him, the wealthy deserved punishment and women working in the sex industry represented society’s moral decay.
It sounds almost ideological until you look at who he actually killed.
His victims weren’t powerful people exploiting society. They were elderly men and women living alone. They were women who were often among the most economically vulnerable members of society. They weren’t difficult targets. They were easy ones.
The academic papers paint a much more believable picture. His resentment toward wealth, his abusive childhood, repeated rejection, failed relationships, years in prison, and deep anger toward women all seem to have blended together into a worldview where he could justify almost anything. His victims became stand-ins for people he actually hated but couldn’t reach.
That isn’t unusual in serial murder. The fantasy becomes more important than the individual victim.
It starts with fantasy. The offender withdraws from reality and begins imagining violence. Then comes planning, followed by gaining the victim’s trust, taking control, the murder itself, and finally a kind of emotional crash. Before long, the fantasy starts building again and the cycle repeats.
Looking back over Yoo’s timeline, the pattern is remarkably clear. His cooling-off periods became shorter and shorter as the murders became routine. He refined his methods, improved his disposal techniques, and made fewer practical mistakes, even while becoming more psychologically dependent on the ritual itself.
It’s hard not to think of it as an addiction. Not to violence itself, but to the cycle.
The police weren’t prepared
Perhaps the biggest lesson from the entire case has nothing to do with psychology.
It has to do with bureaucracy.
Different police stations investigated their own murders without seeing the larger picture. Wealthy homeowners were one type of case. Missing escort workers were another. Even when identical footprints appeared at multiple crime scenes, investigators struggled to connect them because the murders crossed jurisdictional boundaries.
If you’ve lived in Korea for any length of time, this probably sounds familiar. Government agencies often operate in silos. During COVID, we saw different authorities issuing contradictory guidance because they weren’t coordinating effectively. The Yoo investigation exposed the same tendency years earlier.
Once Seoul Metropolitan Police finally brought everyone together and started sharing information, the investigation moved quickly. Unfortunately, by then eight people had already been murdered.
Nature versus nurture
Some Korean commentators tried to explain Yoo through biology, suggesting there might have been something inherited that made him violent.
Modern criminology has moved well beyond that.
Researchers do recognize that biology can influence aggression in certain circumstances, but there is no serious evidence that someone becomes a serial killer because of a particular gene or inherited trait. Environment matters. Childhood matters. Trauma matters. Social isolation matters. The choices someone makes matter.
That’s less satisfying than finding a single cause, but it’s almost certainly closer to the truth.
The places are disappearing, but the lessons remain
One thing we found strangely unsettling is that many of the locations connected to the case no longer exist.
The detached houses where elderly victims were murdered have been demolished. Yoo’s officetel has been rebuilt. Burial sites have been redeveloped. In some places, you could walk past today without the slightest idea that anything terrible ever happened there.
The physical reminders are disappearing.
The lessons shouldn’t.
Yoo Young-chul changed how serial murder investigations are conducted in Korea. He exposed weaknesses in communication between police agencies. He demonstrated why behavioral profiling matters. And perhaps most importantly, he showed how dangerous it can be when investigators try to force unusual crimes into familiar categories.
That’s really why we wanted to make this series. Not because Yoo Young-chul deserves more attention, but because the investigation surrounding him tells us far more about society than he ever could. The murders ended in 2004. The questions they raised about policing, psychology, and the stories we tell ourselves are still worth asking today.
After almost getting caught on CCTV, Yoo Young-Chul took a break and changed his focus and methods. Rather than going out to victims’ houses, he invited them into his home. This time, his focus was on women.
This is part two of four in our series on Korea’s most notorious serial killer. A man who considers himself a criminal genius, but we’ll find he’s not as intelligent as he makes himself out to be.
Angel Earl Joel Bonomini Shaaron Cullen Devon Hiphner Minseok Lee Laura Casey Jane Hargrave Sarah Ford Alix Radilla Ryan Berkebile Ashley Rigby Terra Suttill
Systematic Killings of Women
The Gap Period
Officetel soon after arrest
Had moved from a Goshiwon in Sinsu-dong, Mapo-gu to One-room 203 Officetel in the Nogosan-dong
‘Superintendent Choi from the Information Division of the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency’.
He continued posing as a police officer to extort money
He separated his theft activities from his murder activities
(Dec 11, 2003) The woman who broke his heart?
Met a woman named Kim (27) through a 보도방
He started falling for her, and they lived together for two months
He was also traveling around Busan and Gwangju around that time
Gave jewelry to his girlfriend Kim. Said he found a shopping bag lying around.
Proposed to marry her
She didn’t want a relationship when she found out he had covered up his criminal background, occupation, educational background (gasp), and previous marriage
(Jan 2004) Arrested and held two days on a minor theft charge
(Feb 29, 2004) Found out she had been seeing another man
Argument
Ms. Kim asks for payment before they have sex
Outraged, he bound and raped her for 36 hours
Did something with pruning shears
“It’s not a big deal to kill a child like you. Do you think there is no perfect crime? many. “I’ve done a lot of things that will never be caught,” he said.
Some speculate that this shows that he had killed women before, like during this gap period
She’s terrified and never meets with him again after hospitalization
He sent apologetic texts to her persistently
She changed address and phone number
THIS is when he decided to target women working in the sex industry
보도방 helpers
Business trip massage therapists
NOTE: May not have all worked in the entertainment industry
Friends of two victims said one was a housewife and another was a skin therapist
“Small beauties” who were similar to his wife. Supposedly left alone women who were tall or chubby.
Also–Those body types would be too difficult to dispose of
Did a lot of research on more efficient ways to kill and dispose of bodies
This time he also stole money
(Feb 6, 2004) Imun-dong
Confessed to this but it was coerced
25-year-old woman who worked in a clothing store in Imun-dong, Dongdaemun-gu
“I approached a woman walking through an alley and pretended that I was a police officer checking passers-by,” a police officer quoted Mr. Yoo as saying. “But as the woman fled, I followed her and stabbed her to death.”
He thought she was a prostitute
Two years later, it was found that the real murderer was Jeong Nam-gyu, another serial killer who had murdered 13 victims
We’re going to do an episode on him in the future
(Feb 9, 2004) Near motel in Ganseok-dong, Namdong-gu, Incheon
Prostitute was called to the motel by payphone
Used his fake police ID, threatened, handcuffed, extorted W100,000
Called the pimp
Handcuffed him with the woman
Extorted W290,000
How Bodobang 보도방 work
None of the ladies are at the HQ
Pimp gets a call. He calls the lady and gives the customer’s contact info.
When she meets the customer, she calls the pimp: “Oppa, I have arrived.”
Finishes work
Receives W150,000 deposits
Calls pimp: “Oppa, it’s been deposited.”
Yoo gave and extra W50,000 and called the owner to make sure it was deposited
5 | 2004.03.16 Kwon 관 (23)
Yoo calls a business trip massage (prostitution service) in Sinchon
Tells to meet in front of Seodaemun-gu shopping mall
Meets Ms. Kwon (23)
Posed as a police officer busting prostitutes
Used a scanner and printer to make the fake ID
Bought handcuffs at Namdaemun Market
Took her to his place with no resistance
He didn’t pay her but grabbed her by the hair and dragged her to the bathroom when she tried to escape
Strangled
Bathroom one week after arrest
Blood on ceiling
New challenge: body disposal
Before, he had committed these deeds in other homes
Only had jackknife, hacksaw, and scissors
First used the hacksaw but became more efficient with the knife
Had already studied anatomy on the internet and had made a butcher plan
Removed the head with the jackknife
Hung the head on the trash can next to him
Drained all the blood
Cut the arms, legs, and torso
Did all this with the shower on and while playing the soundtrack to “1492: Conquest of Paradise” by Vangelis
Divide into 10 small black plastic bags and then into 4 large black plastic bags
NOTE: His officetel had a 3 million won deposit, and rent was W400,000 per month — His WATER BILL alone was more than W400,000 a month
Took a taxi to San 1, Daeheung-dong, Mapo-gu
Left the parts on a mountain behind the library of Sogang University
Under a tree
Kept the bags in case there were fingerprints on them
2004.04.13 Ahn | Hwanghak-dong, Dongdaemun-gu
Something different
Ahn (44) selling porn and fake Viagra in front of Baeksang Plaza Pharmacy on 1st floor of Samyeong Building
Ahn packs his wares at the end of the day and heads to his Vesta van
Yoo shows his fake police ID
Accused him of violating the Pharmaceutical Affairs Act
Handcuffed and put in the passenger seat
Ahn becomes suspicious
Had a history of run-ins with the law and could spot a fake ID
Yoo drove Ahn’s van while Ahn’s hand was handcuffed to the door handle
Was also by himself – usually police worked in pairs
Yoo realized this guy would have to die
Yoo drove to a hospital parking lot near his officetel in Sinsu-dong, Mapo-gu
Seemed like he was going to extort money
Assured Ahn that he will let him go
But quickly brings out the murder weapons from his home
Parked at Segang Orthopedic Surgery Clinic (less witnesses)
Got out of the van with his black bag and went around to the back seat
Grabbed Ahn’s face and stabbed him in the neck and head
Believed he was dead and laid him under the back seat
Ahn kicked him desperately
Stabbed him in the thigh and tried to cover him with a bag
Beat his head with the hammer 20x
Ended up cutting himself, so he decided to torch the van
Put newspapers and clothes on Ahn
Went to his apartment to clean up and change clothes
Drove to Wolmido, off of Incheon (1 a.m.)
Samho Petroleum parking lot in Bukseong-dong, Jung-gu, Incheon
Put the wrist and handcuffs in a black bag and left near the breakwater in front of Wolmido Hwe Town, 300m away
Had to hide the victim’s identity and dispose of the handcuffs
Parks the car between two tanker trucks and tries to set off an explosion
The remaining brother attempted suicide and is barely living with psychiatric treatment
Victim’s wife and children cut off ties with in-laws and disappeared
2004.05 Kim Hee-seon 김희선 (25)
Yoo had moved to Officetel No. 203 in Nogosan-dong
Yoo makes a call to another service in Seodaemun-gu
Arranges to meet in front of SK Telecom next to the Green Theater
Women in late 20s, early 30s
He convinces her to go to his house
Sex
Woman sees handcuffs and feels uncomfortable
Yoo takes her to the bathroom humorously and tickles her
She naturally crouched in response to tickling
He took out the hammer and struck her
While still alive, he decapitated her with the jackknife
Dismembered the rest as before
One extra step: cut off fingertips with scissors and flushed them down the toilet
Buried around the wall of a residential area behind the construction site of where a charcoal sauna was being built, near the temple at Bongwon-dong, Seodaemun-gu
NOTE: Not killing near Christian churches but now near a Buddhist temple
Also buried corpses behind the library at Seogang University
2004.05.07 Shin Min-a 신민아 (25)
Yoo stops by a PC bang near Green Theater in Seodaemun-gu (and falls asleep?)
Sees a woman (25) at a computer writing discreet messages
Yoo poses as a police officer with a fake ID
Brings to the officetel
Murders. Same method.
By this time, he’d gotten routine
Would stroke her hair and say, “Goodbye” before striking
2004.06.02 Han Suk-ja 한숙자
Woman (35) meets him behind Hyundai Dept. Store in Sinchon
Coaxes her to go to his place if he pays more money
Sex
Asks her to shower with him
Strikes her with the hammer in the bathroom
Showing this tendency to strike after showing tenderness and intimacy
2004.06 Unidentified
Killed a woman he met behind clock tower of Hyundai Dept. Store in Sinchon
2004.06.09 Jang Gwang 장광 @5 a.m.
Yoo calls for a woman (26) at a motel (which is why there’s a precise time known)
Poses as a police officer and threatens
Shows fake ID, handcuffs her, and takes her to his officetel
2004.06.17 Kim Ji-ho 김지호 @10 p.m.
Yoo called for prostitution services. A 30-year-old woman was supposed to arrive, but a 27-year-old woman appeared.
Murdered and abandoned
Stole her “Avatar” watch
2004.06.25 Woo Gu-yeon 우구연
Used the fake police ID tactic again
2004.07.02 Kim Mi-yeong 김미영 (26)
Uses the fake police scam on a 26-year-old woman from a service near Yeoksam Station
While taking her to the officetel, he found out she had the same name as the woman who broke up with him
Sits her on the toilet and kills her
Face was very mutilated
2004.07.09 Ko Seon-hee 고선의 (24)
Usual
But this time he gave her traditional medicine?
2004.07.13 Im Mi-yeon 임미연
Last one
“Yoo Young-cheol always gave 50,000 won more to prostitutes. Lim was happy and put 50,000 won separately and called the owner to confirm that it was ‘deposited’. At that time, Yoo Young-cheol heard the owner say, ‘The customer is waiting in Hwagok-dong, so go straight there.’”
After disposing of Lim’s body, Yoo Young-cheol drove Lim’s car to Hwagok-dong. In Hwagok-dong, Yoo Young-chul called his boyfriend on Lim’s cell phone. 1 second, 2 seconds, 3 seconds… . After 10 seconds, Yoo Young-chul hung up the phone. As a result, Lim became ‘disappeared at around 4 am in Hwagok-dong’.
In eight months since September 2003, Yoo had murdered 20 people
Yoo later said he still got goosebumps when he says his son called him, “Daddy, do you still have a cold?” It was as if he was saying, ”I know everything. Don’t do that.”
He then stopped in the middle of cutting up the corpse in order to eat with the pieces all lined up
Halloween, 1986: Kim Gye-won went to a public bath in Shindang, Seoul
At the bath: Gye-won clutched her chest, complained of laboured breathing
Gye-won’s symptoms worsened; she fell into a fetal position
She was rushed to a nearby ER; she died there
Doctors determined Gye-won died from unspecified poisoning
Police investigated, interrogating everyone at the public bath
Nothing suspicious was uncovered
Suicide was ruled out
Gye-won’s family noted nothing strange; Gye-won went to the bath with her neighbour as usual
They did note that Gye-won seemed to be missing a pearl necklace and gold rings
Investigation continued with no leads
April 4, 1987: near Yongsan Station, passengers on a bus witnessed a woman, Jeon Soon-ja, fall from her seat
Soon-ja convulsed violently
The bus stopped and a passenger carried Soon-ja to a nearby hospital; she died in his arms
Yongsan Police Station investigated; they spoke only with the bus driver and passengers, who noticed nothing strange before Soon-ja’s convulsions
No further evidence
March 27, 1988: Kim Jong-choon, an elderly man, went to a relative’s birthday party in Icheon
On the intercity bus home, Jong-choon collapsed, suffered convulsions and vomiting
He was rushed to hospital; he died
His death was deemed a heart attack
April 29, 1988: Kim Munja on bus near Children’s Grand Park
She was rushed to hospital; died
Death was ruled a heart attack
The medical staff who observed both Jong-choon and the woman had no access to forensics
July 8, 1988: Sohn Siwon was on a bus in the Yongsan district
Siwon collapsed on the bus and later died
Siwon was given an autopsy
Death was determined to be cyanide poisoning
During the investigation, determined Siwon had met with cousin Kim Seonja
Further investigation then linked Seonja to all the other victims
Neighbour Kim Gye-won went to public bath with was Seonja; she stole jewelry
Jeon Soon-ja was a creditor who arranged a loan of 7 million won for Seonja
Kim Jong-choon was Seonja’s father; she stole money, bankbooks, etc.
Kim Munja was Seonja’s younger sister; she stole money, bankbooks, etc
Sohn Siwon was Seonja’s sister-in-law from whom she had borrowed 4.4 million won
Seonja’s was considered a person-of-interest after Jeon Soon-ja’s death, but there was not enough evidence
It was discovered that on February 10, 1988 (after Jeon Soon-ja’s murder and before Kim Jong-choon’s murder), met creditor Kim Soon-ja; Seon-ja had borrowed and still owed 1.2 million won; Seon-ja accompanied Soon-ja to meet a debtor in Eunpyeong; upon returning in a taxi, Soon-ja felt ill and vomited; Seon-ja offered a medicinal drink; Soon-ja rejected it and went straight home
Seon-ja later went to Soon-ja’s house to check on her and repay the debt
Money was the motive – loans and theft
Investigation uncovered a ton of jewelry, bankbooks, and other valuable items in Seon-ja’s house
Cyanide was found in Seon-ja’s house
Investigator found a clump the size of a chestnut in the bathroom (while taking a shit)
More conclusive evidence was needed
Investigators wanted to run autopsies on victims; victim’s were exhumed
This was difficult; families weren’t receptive to exhuming
Cyanide was discovered in the remains; Kim Jong-choong was cremated, so no autopsy was given
Discovered that Seon-ja’s relative worked in chemical plant with access to cyanide
Seon-ja asked relative to sell her some to kill pheasants
How does cyanide kill? (source: Johns Hopkins University)
Highly lethal – has been used in warfare for millenia
Nero used Laurel water (a hydrogen cyanide solution) to poison water supplies of enemies
Cyanide inhibits the body from deriving energy from oxygen
Central nervous system and cardiovascular system are chiefly affected
Symptoms are: (CNS) headache, anxiety, agitation, confusion, lethargy, seizures, and coma; (cardio) hypotension and pulmonary edema; (other) acute lung damage, nausea, vomiting, and skin discolouration
Survivors may subsequently suffer Parkinson’s disease, neurological disorders, among others
Kills quickly
Who was Kim Seon-ja?
Little is known outside of her crimes
Born in 1939
Married, with three sons; husband made living as a painter (sole family income)
In her late 40s during murders
No known prior convictions
Gambling addiction
Apparently also spent a lot of time in clubs
Arrest, trial, and execution
September 2, 1988: Seon-ja is arrested, charged with three counts of murder and robbery; she denied all charges
The total known amount she stole was 8.5 million won and 600,000 won in jewelry (uncertain) – more than 28,000,000 won today
Trial began: concluded in 1989; was sentenced to death
Continually denied the charges while on death row
‘I’m going home without guilt.’
Some insisted the death penalty was unfair
Subject of an episode of SBS’s I Want to Know (그것이 알고 싶다)
The show appeared to sympathize with Seon-ja’ some believed her resentment justified removing death penalty
Former (at the time) Justice Minister Bae Myeong-in was inspired by the show; allegedly requested retrial; apparently denied
WARNING: This episode contains disturbing content.
A special serious episode. South Korea has been horrified by the story of 16-month-old Jeong-in, a baby girl who was abused until she died this past October. This is spotlighting Korea’s and the Korean authorities’ long dark complacency with child abuse.
Korea’s most notorious criminal is set to be released in late 2020. Only recently has the “I was drunk” defense been scrapped as an accepted excuse for sex crimes. We explore the problematic legal and cultural barriers to effective sex crime prevention in Korea.
**WARNING** We do not suggest the episode for people recovering from sexual abuse.
Prince Sado’s tale has been told through TV and film. Living in the 1700s, he got away with many killings and cruel acts. Yet there are others who say he himself was a victim. Listen as we delve into the life and legends of one of Korea’s most notorious royal members and how his death marked the beginning of the end of the Joseon dynasty.
In early 2008, an English teacher and his girlfriend were killed in an apartment fire. It was a turning point in the disparate expat community. Many of the charity and fundraising groups we see now started here. But is that the whole story?
We talk about Bill Kapoun and more mysterious passings in this episode.
Was arrested at his mother’s house in Boryeong, South Chungcheong
Confession
Tried to say they died in a car accident
Drank 2 bottles of soju and “inhaled bond” around 4 p.m. Dec 25
Left home to buy cigarettes
Saw the two girls, kidnapped them, assaulted them for an hour
After he sobered up, choked them to death and chopped up the corpses in his bathroom
Loaded them into his trunk and dumped them near Homaesil, Suwon and in Gunja Stream, Siheung
New Confession
Murder of a 44-year-old woman in Gunpo in July 2004
a “date mate” employed by an adult phone room and told her to come to a motel in Geumjeong-dong
Had talked to her four times previously
Murdered her and threw her body into the sea from a bridge in Wolgot
Was picked as a strong suspect but released him for no evidence other than a fake reaction to a lie detector
Led to re-opening of other cases of missing women (Dec 2006-Jan 2007)
Accusations of a sloppy investigation from inside whistleblower
Brought in Jeong for questioning three times but let him go in the early stages
“At the time, Jeong was not home for five days, and the police also received information that he had attempted to sexually assault women in the neighborhood. Jeong was a possible suspect from the beginning,” the e-mail said. “However, the police just trusted Jeong’s claim that he worked as a substitute driver on the day the kids went missing. The police didn’t even cross-check with his employer to confirm he had actually worked that day.”
Police didn’t find blood evidence in his apartment until after he confessed
Only after a new commissioner took office did the investigation restart, and they looked into car rental records
Arrested Jeong without considering other suspects who could have rented the car
The Anyang investigators and other Gyeonggi offices didn’t work well together
Created nationwide data-sharing system
Received the death penalty (2009)
Song Hye-hee: missing since 1999, 17 years old at the time
Father has never stopped looking for her; continues to hang banners and posters around Korea asking for help in finding his daughter
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For our first true crime episode, we cover the Jijon Family. They were a gang of ex-convicts who went on a serial murder rampage in the mid-1990s and showed no remorse. Some even practiced cannibalism on their victims.
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