Grotesque Murders Claim Twenty Victims Over 11 Months

Police have arrested a notorious serial killer who is so far responsible for the murder of 20 people, including the serial murders of affluent families in Seoul that took place last year.

On July 18, the SMPA (Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency) mobile task force arrested Yoo Young-chul (34, Seoul Mapo-gu Nogosan-dong) and charged him with murder. The specific incidents include: breaking into four houses in Seoul and killing eight during the year 2003; murdering 11 others from the beginning of this year, most of them catering massagers and chunghwabang (phone-room) helpers. The SMPA is investigating further crimes that he might have committed.

According to police, Yoo has a criminal record, with fourteen previous convictions including robbery and theft, suffers from mental illness, and has committed himself to these crimes because of his hatred towards the rich and women after he became divorced.

It has been confirmed by the police that Yoo murdered 20 victims in 16 separate cases, but he testified that he killed 23, and it is predicted that the number of victims will increase.

--Crimes aimed at the rich

Yoo is charged with breaking into a two-story house in Seoul Gangnam-gu Sinsa-dong, on September 24, 2003 around 10:10 a.m., threatening an unnamed University’s honorary professor, Mr. Lee and his wife Mrs. Lee, and later beating them to death.

It is also known that Yoo murdered three members of the family of Koh (61, parking manager)--his mother Mrs. Kang (85), wife Mrs. Lee (60) and son (35)--on October 9, 2003 at Jongno-gu Gugi-dong. A week afterwards, on October 16, Yoo broke into the house of a military supplier company’s president, Mr. Choi, in Gangnam-gu Samsung-dong, and killed his wife, Mrs. Yoo (69).

On November 18, 2003, Yoo climbed up Mr. Kim’s (87) house, located at Jongno-gu Hyehwa-dong, through a water pipe and murdered Mr. Kim and his housekeeper Ms. Bae (53). But when police put him on the wanted list after his image was caught on a CCTV, Yoo stopped his crimes aimed at the rich.

--Murdering and cutting a victim to pieces

From March 2004, Yoo picked and killed his victims including catering massagers or women with similar jobs. Yoo’s wife, who was a masseuse, divorced him without consulting him while he was serving a sentence. He proposed to a woman with the same job in January 2004, but was rejected. He then started committing crimes against women in this field.

In mid-March, Yoo lured and murdered chunghwabang helper Ms. Kwon (24) at his officetel in Mapo-gu Nogosan-dong, and murdered 10 more catering massagers up until July 13. Mr. Yoo disposed of the bodies by cutting them into pieces and burying the pieces underneath a hill near the Bongwon Temple, located at Seodaemoon-gu Bongwon-dong.

On February in Incheon Namdong-gu, Yoo murdered Mr. Chung (47) and set his van on fire to hide his crimes.

--Arrest and investigation

Yoo was caught by police on July 15 based on the report early this month of a catering massage company owner who was suspicious of the fact that massagers were mysteriously disappearing.

After being arrested by police, Yoo escaped on July 15 around midnight when surveillance was low, but was caught again after 12 hours, on July 16. Afterwards, he began to confess his crimes, and police went to the hill near Bongwon Temple late that night and found the buried bodies. On July 18, 2004, police went to the burial ground with Yoo and dug up more bodies.