Korean True Crime

When actress Jang Ja-yeon was found dead in 2009, police called it a simple suicide, but a secret document she left behind told a different story of systemic abuse. This document was not a suicide note, but a list of the powerful men she claimed had forced her into sexual servitude. Her story was almost lost as the papers were burned, but then an anonymous source sent them to a major news station. The letters named leaders in media...

On social media, she presented a life of luxury travel and designer bags. In reality, she was a woman drowning in debt, consumed by likes and follows. When that anger finally consumed her, it resulted in a 41 stab wounds and the purchase of a chainsaw.

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They spent 21 years in prison for a murder they didn’t commit. Jang Dong-ik and Choi In-cheol insisted on their innocence, but believing them meant admitting the police got it wrong. With the real killer never caught and no leads left behind, will the Nakdong River Murder remain forever unsolved?

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Nine victims in ten months. Jeong Doo-young's only motivation? Greed. He hunted the wealthy on quiet rainy Thursdays, leaving blood-soaked homes across Korea's southern coast.Find our merch here: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://koreantruecrime-shop.fourthwall.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

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Graves filled with the remains of entire families began turning up across the remote northern mountains. In one village, rumors spread of a cave on Macha Mountain said to be rich with gold but locals soon called it the “Cave of Death,” because those who entered were never seen again. The cave was just one of many hiding places used by the doomsday cult known as the Pure White Church. Beneath promises of salvation, they buried the t...

On New Year’s Day, 11-year-old Lee Siwoo wrote down his resolutions for 2023. He wanted to pass his exams, spend time with his family, and disappear quickly. A month later, paramedics found him unresponsive on the floor of his home. When they cut open his pajama shirt to begin CPR, they saw the bruises covering his emaciated body. While his mother mourned at his funeral, his father and stepmother sat in a police station, claiming S...

In 2007, Kim Myeong-ho, a mathematics professor, waited in the stairwell of Judge Park Hong-woo's apartment building. As the judge pressed the elevator button, Kim Myeong-ho raised a crossbow and shot the high court judge. What led to this? A mistake on the mathematics portion of the national college scholastic test. The trial left Korea divided over who the true villain was.

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In 1992, Yun Geum-i was brutally murdered in her apartment in the Dongducheon camp town. The suspect, Kenneth Markle, a U.S. Army medic, was shielded by the U.S.-South Korea Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA) which led to a surge of anti-American protests across South Korea. Korea demanded accountability and an end to an era of inequality. Yun Geum-i'...

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In 2004, the Raincoat Killer, Yoo Youngchul, stopped. The police were left with only shoeprints and a fuzzy CCTV screenshot. Unbeknownst to the investigators, Yoo Youngchul hadn’t stopped killing, he’d chosen a new target to hate: women. His crimes continued to escalate as Yoo Youngchul began dismembering his victims and engaging in cannibalism. With the m...

Find our new merch here: ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://koreantruecrime-shop.fourthwall.com⁠In 2000, a man who would come to be known as the Raincoat Killer was released from prison following his 14th conviction, with a history of theft, extortion, and raping a minor. The 30-year-old Yoo Youngchul set his sights on Seoul’s wealthy, targeting homes near churches in Gangnam, where he bludgeoned his victims with a modified sledgehammer. Practicing his b...

Find our new merch here: ⁠⁠https://koreantruecrime-shop.fourthwall.com/⁠⁠In 2005, a man who would come to be known as the Bloodlust Serial Killer was released from prison for the 5th time for crimes of robbery and rape. The 23-year-old would set his sights on two young women, murdering them, and taking his twisted perversions to heinous levels. When he was finally caught, he showed no remorse telling the judge, "I was going to keep...

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On February 10, 2025, seven-year-old Kim Haneul left her after-school arts program at Seonyu Elementary School in Daejeon, South Korea, heading to her next activity. A responsible first-grader, she managed her busy schedule with the guidance of trusted adults. But that day, one teacher shattered that trust, luring Haneul into a darkened audio-visual room. Within a...

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In the finale of our three-part series exploring Jamie Penich’s murder, a hotel-room confession sparks the first American-Korean extradition. Agents Mansfield, DiVittis, and Lee are confident they’ve nailed the killer, expecting judges to agree, but the suspect recants their confession. Accusations of coercion, ...

Agent Mark Mansfield takes the lead of the Jamie Penich murder case in August 2001, determined to solve the mystery of her death. As the initial suspects are dismissed and the case returns back to square one, a new angle comes to him. The investigation changes directions as an FBI behavioral analysis expert and special agent are brought into the case confirming what Agent Mansfield suspected. The suspect is brought in for questioni...

Jamie Penich, a 21-year-old American student from Pennsylvania, arrived in South Korea in March 2001 for a semester abroad. But on the morning of March 18, after a lively night out with friends, she was discovered brutally murdered in her motel room. The chaotic investigation began with contaminated evidence, a mishandled crime scene, and unreliable witnesses. Evidence pointed towards the killer being an American soldier, but as de...

Following a festival celebration on October 1998, 18-year-old nursing student Jeong Eunhee vanishes from Daegu’s streets, only for her body to be identified following a pedestrian traffic accident on a 10-lane highway. The police believe it is a clear cut tragic accident, but the victims father uncovers evidence that tells a different story. Her boyfriend's convenient blackout, the truck driver's testimony, and the withheld...

In 1992 Chungju, a young woman stands over her stepfather’s lifeless body, a single stab wound ending a decade of torment at his hands. The scene is dressed as a robbery, but the blood on her hands tells a different story—one of survival and rage. As investigators unravel the mystery, Bo-eun’s vengeance from victim to killer reveals a history of abuse over a decade long. Did she snap, or was this her only way out?

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A newlywed couple vanishes from their high-rise apartment without a trace—no witnesses, no evidence, just a series of cryptic text messages. Their last known movements are captured on CCTV, yet they are never seen leaving the building. As investigators search for answers, a tangled web of obsession, threats, and unexplained disappearances emerges, pointing to a woman who refused to let go of the past. Did they run, or were they tak...

A body discovered in a trunk reveals a nest of secrets—a suburban basement doubling as the headquarters of a religious cult. Inside, Christian military-style training escalates to deadly consequences, uncovering the making of a cult. The anything-but-holy leader demands that followers prove their faithfulness to God by enduring horrific punishments, ultimately leading to a woman’s tragic death.

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