‘The Story of That Day, Tied to Tails’ (hereafter ‘Kkokkomu’) shocked viewers by uncovering an unprecedented locked room murder case that will remain in the history of crime in South Korea.
On the broadcast of SBS's cultural program ‘Kkokkomu’ on the 14th, the ‘Geoyeo-dong Locked Room Murder Case’ was highlighted, featuring actor Park Hyo-joo, N.Flying's Lee Seung-hyup, and actress Hong Hwa-yeon as listeners.
Profiler Kwon Il-yong revealed, “It has already been 20 years since the incident occurred. Yet, the scenes I witnessed at the scene vividly come to mind, making it difficult to interview,” raising curiosity about the case.
The case began in December 2003 when three bodies were discovered in a small room of an apartment in Geoyeo-dong, Seoul. The victims were a woman in her 30s, her three-year-old son, and her ten-month-old daughter. The children had died of asphyxiation, and the mother was found collapsed with a noose around her neck. The room was in a locked state, with no signs of external intrusion, as both the door and windows were secured.
Initially, the police presumed that the woman in her 30s had killed her children before making an extreme choice. However, the traces of preparing dinner for the family and the brutal manner of the children's deaths were far from typical cases. At that moment, Detective Lee Moon-guk discovered a crucial piece of evidence: a scrap of paper that the deceased mother had clutched in her final moments. Generally, muscles relax upon death, but Ms. Jang had died while gripping the paper in a state of 'immediate muscle contraction,' suggesting that she had attempted to convey something just before her death.
The investigation team noted the absence of the remaining pieces of paper in the house and began a re-investigation. Subsequently, it was confirmed through apartment CCTV that her classmate had visited her home on the day of the incident. This classmate, who was so close to the children's mother that the kids called her ‘aunt,’ shocked everyone by boldly confessing to the police, “I did it. So what?” when questioned. Park Hyo-joo exclaimed, “Was she possessed by an evil spirit? How can she be so brazen? She's not human.”
The investigation team discovered a cut plastic bottle at her home, which was identified as the murder weapon. It was used to reduce friction on the noose. Lee Seung-hyup expressed his outrage, saying, “It's horrifying,” and added, “It's truly premeditated.” Furthermore, a murder plan was found under the mattress, revealing that she had meticulously prepared for the murder for six months.
The classmate, Ms. Han, lured the first child and killed him first, then placed a noose around Ms. Jang, who was holding the second infant, and killed her. With only one hand free, Ms. Jang was unable to loosen the noose while trying to hold onto her child. Detective Lee Moon-guk stated, “It was a crime that exploited a mother's instinct. The sight of the mother’s bruised hand, unable to let go of her child, was the most heartbreaking.” In response, Hong Hwa-yeon lamented, “How scared and terrified must she have been?”
After the crime, Ms. Han took a bag containing the keys, locked the door, and created a perfect locked room by putting the bag back inside through the hallway window. However, the scrap of paper she clutched in her final moments became her downfall. Ms. Han had taped a piece of paper to the end of the tape while securing the plastic bottle above the door, which remained as evidence.
Regarding the motive for the crime, profiler Kwon Il-yong analyzed that emotional detachment and narcissistic tendencies were evident. The perpetrator harbored deep feelings of victimization and inferiority towards her classmate, and the accumulation of anger and anxiety led to extreme actions. It was even revealed that the perpetrator and the deceased children's father had an affair, which heightened the outrage. Lee Seung-hyup remarked, “It's chilling,” while Park Hyo-joo stated, “This is the most shocking story I've ever heard. It's so unrealistic that it feels like a movie.”
The court sentenced her to life imprisonment. At the end of the broadcast, Hong Hwa-yeon emphasized, “To think someone could twist a hand extended to them like this. When narcissism grows, it can lead to truly horrific outcomes,” and added, “We need an attitude of living together.”
[Kim So-yeon, Star Today Reporter]
