"Hyeongsuda" season 2 deals with an abduction case that shocked Korea, in which a teacher gaslighted a student into committing kidnapping and murder.
The 11th episode of E Channel's original web variety show "Hyeongsuda" season 2 (hereinafter "Hyeongsuda 2"), which will be released on the YouTube channel "Detectives' Chat" on the 3rd, features former judge-turned-attorney Jeong Jae-min and singer Jeon Hyo-seong as guests.
This broadcast is a "death row" episode about South Korean death row inmates who were actually executed, and it focuses intensively on the Joo Young-hyung case, which shocked the entire nation in the 1980s.
The case begins with an urgent report of an abduction. The victim was Lee Yun-sang, a boy who had physical difficulties from childhood polio but grew up as a model student. He disappeared after going to run an errand at the bookstore in front of house 22, and soon afterward a threatening phone call came. The caller, claiming to be a four-person kidnapping gang recently released from prison, threatened, "Prepare 40 million won." They tightened pressure on the parents through calls and letters and even ordered Yun-sang's older sister to bring the money in person. During the investigation, circumstances indicating they had tried to abduct the sister were revealed.
On the 106th day of his disappearance, wanted posters were distributed nationwide, and the parents wrote a plea letter to the perpetrator that was published in a newspaper. While the nation paid attention to the case, it was confirmed that Yun-sang had planned to meet his middle school physical education teacher that day. The teacher, who arrived late to the meeting place, testified that Yun-sang was not there and that he went to attend a graduate school class. The investigation team examined about 700 people around the parents and some 16,000 former offenders and persons at risk, but there were no suspects. Fingerprints appeared on the threatening letter, but none matched those under investigation.
A year after the disappearance, the investigation team brought in a famous Japanese hypnotist to recover memories of that day, and during that process a decisive clue was captured. The culprit was Joo Young-hyung, whose identity turned out to be the physical education teacher. Joo had a history of committing sexual crimes against dozens of female students and leaving the school, and in this case it was revealed that he had involved his former female students, who were his pupils, which made the crime even more shocking. Attorney Jeong Jae-min said of Joo's actions, "He seems like the most devilish perpetrator I've ever seen." Profiler Kwon Il-yong analyzed, "A criminal who shows the most typical psychopathic characteristics." Jeon Hyo-seong was also stunned by the crimes committed against his students, saying, "It seems insane."
In fact, Joo Young-hyung calmly went to school and even gave a broadcast interview feigning concern for Yun-sang while the nation was in uproar over the disappearance. Jeon Hyo-seong lamented the teacher's atrocities against his students, saying, "It's so cruel."
His true nature was revealed through examinations such as a falsehood detector (lie detector) test, and his continued attempts to evade responsibility provoked anger. "Hyeongsuda 2" sheds light on the full picture of a horrific crime that shook an era through ruthless abduction and murder, the painstaking investigation that brought the perpetrator to trial, and the gaslighting of students.
Meanwhile, as the global popularity of the content genre "True Crime" that deals with real criminal cases has risen, "Hyeongsuda 2" has introduced AI dubbing for global viewers. From episode 3 it is being dubbed into four languages—English, Spanish, Japanese and Vietnamese—and plans to dub all episodes so global viewers can easily watch "Hyeongsuda 2."
"Hyeongsuda 2" is released every Friday at 7 p.m. on the YouTube channel "Detectives' Chat."
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