SBS crime documentary "The Outlaws" "The Roundup" 'The Time of Monsters' part 4 delved deeply into the full story of the series of abductions and killings of Korean residents in the Philippines, for which ringleader Choi Se-yong is known to be the real-life motive for the film. The broadcast recorded a peak instantaneous viewership rating of 2.95% and firmly maintained its No. 1 position in non-drama genres in the same time slot. (Nielsen Korea, metropolitan households basis)
- 'murder corporation CEO' appears: meticulous and brutal crime design
Choi Se-yong's gang's crimes were carried out in the Philippines against Koreans who came for language study or travel from 2008 to 2012. They approached victims through expatriate communities claiming they would help with English study or tourism, then posed as guesthouse owners and other roles to trap the victims. His crimes, estimated to have kidnapped at least 19 people and killed 7, were organized and planned. Among them, four victims remain missing because their bodies have not yet been found, and their families live in unending pain.
- Choi Se-yong's background: overture of poverty and twisted desire
Choi Se-yong's younger brother recalled, "Given his personality, he's not someone who could kill or do such things," but his criminal spree contradicts that testimony. Raised under a gambling father, Choi Se-yong endured a difficult childhood and in 1979, at the young age of 14, came alone to Seoul where he learned theft. From his minority years he repeatedly served prison terms for special thefts, sinking deeper into crime. According to his brother, Choi did not neglect study even in prison. With help from older brothers he received funds to buy books and completed middle and high school through the qualification exam, showing an exceptional mind. When PC bangs first appeared in Korea, he was among the first to recognize their commercial potential and even suggested the startup to his brother.
- gaslighting and "performance": cruel methods for controlling accomplices
Rather than directly committing murder himself, Choi Se-yong tended to manipulate accomplices with intelligent methods to avoid getting his hands bloody. Even in thefts to fund the PC bang business, he showed cunning by scouting targets and ordering accomplices to carry out the acts instead of acting directly. Behind numerous murders such as the Anyang currency exchange murder and killings with no bodies, he exercised gaslighting to make accomplices his pawns. He also staged a horrific "performance" in which he killed in front of someone he brought to recruit former Deputy Minister, an illegal loan broker. Even after being arrested, the former Deputy Minister used extreme honorifics toward Choi and said, "That person could do anything," showing extreme fear. Another accomplice, Kim Seong-gon, also claimed, "He kept contacting me at home. He kept following me," saying he had no choice but to join the crimes because of Choi's relentless gaslighting.
- meticulous planned crime: forged passports and erasing traces
Choi Se-yong's meticulousness was evident in every method of his crimes. As the investigative net tightened around him, he found someone who resembled him to make a forged passport and even had the person photographed wearing the black horn-rimmed glasses he liked, showing careful planning. He also used walkie-talkies instead of mobile phones, which could leave evidence, to thoroughly erase traces. The court-appointed lawyer who defended him recalled, "There was no emotional change; he was like a real machine," and the prosecuting investigator said, "When you ask questions he understands the context and comes up with the most advantageous excuse or lie. It's like a drama script," indicating Choi was cold and cunning.
- unending tragedy: the shadow of missing victims
One of the victims whose body has not yet been found because of Choi Se-yong's brutal crimes, Yoon Cheol-wan's parents, visited the Philippines themselves to find their son. Finding the place where Yoon's body is believed to have been buried and the lodging where he last stayed, the parents' wailing moved viewers' hearts. Choi continues to distort the truth by claiming the incident was the sole crime of accomplice Kim Jong-seok, who took his own life.
- legal disputes continue even after life imprisonment... the fight is not over
'The Time of Monsters' made clear that Choi Se-yong's evil did not end with a life sentence. At the time, the investigating prosecutor said Choi would likely continue efforts for retrial or parole, noting, "He is still continuing legal disputes." That implies Choi's story is ongoing and his cruel ambition could resurface at any time.
The four-part SBS crime documentary 'The Time of Monsters,' which concluded as a four-episode series, recorded achievements such as No. 1 in non-drama genre viewership and entering the top three of Netflix Korea charts, and is being praised for opening a new horizon for crime documentaries.<
[Photo] 'The Time of Monsters'
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