"The Time of the Monster" reveals testimony that broke the 31-year silence of Lee Chun-jae's ex-wife.
The four-part SBS crime documentary "The Time of the Monster," which premiered on the 1st, took an in-depth look at the shocking reality of Lee Chun-jae, the real perpetrator of the Hwaseong serial murders that shook Korea, and his twisted psychology. Part 1 of "The Time of the Monster" ranked first in the non-drama genre in the same time slot with a household rating of 3.3%, and its peak momentary rating surged to 3.71%, proving the program's overwhelming topicality. (Nielsen Korea, Seoul metropolitan area basis)
In Part 1 of "The Time of the Monster," it showed the meticulous and thorough interrogation process the police carried out after finding Lee Chun-jae's DNA in Hwaseong cases numbers 3, 4, 5, 7 and 9. The investigation team used Lee Chun-jae's "desire for honor" and "desire to show off," and eventually Lee Chun-jae himself wrote by hand on paper "12+2 murders, 19 rapes, 15 attempts" listing his crimes, and calmly testified, "12 cases are incidents around Hwaseong and 2 cases are in Cheongju," shocking everyone.
Lee Chun-jae claimed that he had been molested by an older girl in his neighborhood when he was a child and that this experience led him to commit a series of crimes. However, Na Won-oh, then head of the criminal division at the Gyeonggi Nambu Provincial Police Agency, who was in charge of the investigation, dismissed such claims as "likely stories made up to rationalize his crimes." He analyzed, "While childhood molestation could have affected his ability to form normal relationships with women, it would not have been the decisive factor leading to serial offenses," and commented on how cunning and selfish the perpetrator's self-rationalization can be.
Part 1 of "The Time of the Monster" went beyond a simple reconstruction of events and drew viewers' sympathy with a deep analysis that encompassed the criminal's twisted psychology and social responsibility. The combination of Lee Chun-jae's voice and sharp insights from experts provided viewers with overwhelming immersion and served as an opportunity to reflect on the scars left by the crime and the importance of social efforts to prevent recurrence.
Immediately after the broadcast, viewers responded explosively with comments such as "I got chills seeing the number of crimes Lee Chun-jae himself wrote," "the documentary's in-depth analysis posed heavy questions to viewers," "it was a nail-biting tension," and "I felt the power of true investigative reporting." They also praised "The Time of the Monster" for opening a new horizon for crime documentaries by deeply exploring the essence of crime and its impact on our society, beyond mere crime exposés.
Part 1 of "The Time of the Monster" probed the reality of the "monster" named Lee Chun-jae and raised the unresolved questions left by the case, and it examined the criminal's interior without sparing his attempts at self-rationalization. In Part 2 of SBS's "The Time of the Monster," titled "Lee Chun-jae's day and night," vivid testimonies from classmates, neighbors and coworkers who witnessed Lee Chun-jae's extreme two faces will be revealed for the first time. In particular, the ex-wife, who was the victim who lost her beloved younger sibling because of Lee Chun-jae and who watched him most closely, breaks her 31-year silence to tell for the first time about the "human Lee Chun-jae" she experienced. The process from first meeting Lee Chun-jae to marrying him and building a family, and the true face, shocking behavior and reality of Lee Chun-jae that she endured are revealed for the first time through "The Time of the Monster."
Part 2 of the four-part SBS crime documentary "The Time of the Monster," titled "Lee Chun-jae's day and night," will air on Sunday, Nov. 2, at 11:10 p.m.<
[Photo] SBS
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