SBS's 'Kkokkomu' covered a bizarre child serial murder case that shocked Busan 50 years ago, evoking shock and anger from viewers. In particular, the fact that the perpetrator remains at large as a permanent unsolved case brought tears.
The broadcast of 'Story of the Day When You Bite Your Tail' (directed by Lee Geun-byeol, Lee Dong-won, Go Hye-rin, hereafter 'Kkokkomu') on the 22nd was the second installment of the three-part special titled 'My Child Is Missing', featuring Kim Jong-kook, Jeong Eun-ji, and Im Ha-ryong as listeners, discussing the theme 'I Killed You, the Perpetrator's Message'.
In August 1975, a 5-year-old boy was found dead in a fish market in Busan's Seo-gu, wearing only underwear with his hands and feet bound and his mouth stuffed with newspaper. The victim, Dohun (pseudonym), was reported missing after having dinner with his family and was believed to have been killed within two hours of his disappearance, sending shockwaves throughout Busan. Detective Seo Jeong-woo, who was in charge of the case at the time, recalled it as "a peculiar crime where a child was killed to feel pleasure," and Jeong Eun-ji expressed, "It gives me chills."
However, this case was not the end. Four days before Dohun disappeared, a 7-year-old girl named Ji-eun (pseudonym) went missing after buying a hot dog in the neighborhood and was found dead with her hands and feet bound, just like Dohun. The police initially announced it as a simple death case, but it was revealed to be a murder case by a reporter who examined the scene.
At the time, Jo Gap-je, an international news reporter, stated, "The scene of the incident was Yongdusan. Many reporters went down the mountain after hearing it was a simple death case, but only the social department reporter Park Mong-gye found it strange that the body was left without shoes. Park alone went back up the mountain to investigate and learned that 'the body was bound with rope'. This was definitive evidence of a murder case, and it led to an exclusive report.
In particular, messages that were incomprehensible, such as "I'm Jae-eun Im from Beomcheon-dong, and I died in a park," were written on the chest of the corpse, causing fear. The police considered this case to be the handiwork of the same perpetrator as Dohun's case, as Dohun's body also had "I killed you" written on it. Jeong Eun-ji expressed, "I'm furious from head to toe," while being engulfed in shock.
Professor Oh Yoon-sung cited the Lee Chun-jae case as an example, stating, "Such signature crimes began to emerge in the late 1990s, thus this case was far ahead of its time." Upon hearing this, Kim Jong-kook replied, "It's terrifying that someone would think of such a signature themselves," and Jeong Eun-ji added, "It's shocking that such a crime was committed against a child," questioning, "Is this something a human can do?"
The perpetrator also demonstrated audacity by calling a police station in Busan. The man on the phone said, "Do you know about Ji-eun's case? I killed her," and made twisted, obscure statements like "7698".
At that time, Busan was in chaos. Families raising children were particularly on high alert. Kidnapping prevention campaigns were held throughout the streets. Parents crowded outside schools to pick up their children, and the streets were almost deserted. Jo Gap-je noted, "Many people felt a sense of fear," adding that "the police mobilized were searching the mountains and fields as if watching a horror movie." At that time, the reward for information about the perpetrator was 1 million won, while the starting salary for a public servant was 20,000 won.
One day, a man in his 30s came to the police station, claiming his 9-year-old daughter had nearly been kidnapped and that her name was 'Im Jae-eun' (pseudonym). Jae-eun was abducted by a man in his 20s in broad daylight after school. The perpetrator threatened Jae-eun and, after taking a taxi, headed towards Beomseong Park. On the way through the woods, he bizarrely ordered her, "Call me master" and asked for her home phone number. After choking Jae-eun, he escaped from the scene, but fortunately, he was saved by hikers. The perpetrator, thinking he had killed Jae-eun, showed audacity by calling the police station to divulge the crime. Kim Jong-kook said, "I can hardly believe it," losing his words.
The police, with Jae-eun's cooperation, created a composite sketch, and over 100,000 copies were distributed. More than 30,000 community meetings were held in Busan, and taxi drivers from across Busan banded together to catch the perpetrator. However, the perpetrator remained at large.
In 1976, another child abduction and murder case occurred. A 5-year-old girl disappeared from Iri Station while traveling on an overnight train with her parents in their 30s, accompanied by an unknown man in his 20s. The perpetrator was caught at Nonsan Station, but the missing daughter was found dead near Iri Station. This man's method of operation was similar to that of the 'I killed you' case, and the perpetrator of the Iri Station case lived in the same area of Busan's Yeongdo District, where the call had been made during the 'I killed you' case. However, the perpetrator of the Iri Station case denied any connection to the serial child murders in Busan, and the police could not find direct evidence linking these crimes, causing the investigation to conclude as a single case.
Ultimately, the brutal child serial murder case remains a permanent unsolved case due to the expiration of the statute of limitations. Kim Jong-kook expressed anger, asking, "Is that it? They couldn't catch him? It's unresolved?" Jang Sung-kyu stated, "The parents of the victims must have had no peace of mind for a single day, thinking that the perpetrator who killed their child is living somewhere under the same sky," expressing his agony. Detective Seo Jeong-woo noted, "I couldn't fulfill my duty until the end," expressing regret that they could not apprehend the perpetrator. Jeong Eun-ji tearfully remarked, "Especially the detectives must have felt crushed since they were dealing with crimes against children."
[Photo] Provided by SBS
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