SBS Kkokkomu delivered the truth of the "cyanide makgeolli murder case," overturned after 16 years, shocking viewers.
On the 26th, Tails of Tales (directed by Ahn Yoon-tae; lead producer Lee Keun-byeol; hereafter Kkokkomu) aired the episode "Who is the real culprit? - Suncheon cyanide makgeolli case," revealing the full story of the case that was proven innocent after 16 years and the retrial process. That day, listeners included singer Son Dam-bi, broadcaster Lee Guk-ju, and Shin Ye-chan of the band Lucy, who joined to share their poignant stories.
The incident occurred in September 2009 in a rural village in Suncheon, Jeollanam-do. A woman surnamed Choi in her 50s and a resident died after drinking makgeolli with other villagers. At that time the makgeolli had turned black, and the poison cyanide (potassium cyanide) was detected at levels far exceeding a lethal dose. The case later became known as the "cyanide makgeolli murder case."
After the investigation, prosecutors announced they had identified the culprits. The suspects were the victim's husband and daughter. Prosecutors claimed the daughter and father placed the makgeolli containing cyanide inside the house as if someone had left it there, and that the father handed it to his wife. They also said the two had planned the crime for about a month and, amid an immoral relationship lasting 15 years, committed the murder. Ultimately, in 2012 the court sentenced the daughter to 20 years in prison and the father to life imprisonment.
Although the case seemed closed, it reached a turning point 12 years later through retrial lawyer Park Jun-young. He said he was "deeply shocked while watching the footage," and added, "How can people trample on others like this and use them as a means to boost their performance? I felt like I was seeing a horrendous violation of human rights and dignity."
The prosecution investigation CCTV he obtained contained the process by which a confession was produced. Scenes were repeated in which an investigator first told the details of the case and led the testimony, and there was evidence of pressure to have the daughter identify the father as an accomplice. Experts pointed out that the daughter may have been psychologically vulnerable to such pressure.
The father was also subjected to strong pressure during the investigation. He apologized to his wife, but that reflected guilt about bringing the makgeolli into the house. However, prosecutors cunningly manipulated this to appear like a murder confession. To protect his daughter, the father ultimately gave a false confession. The guests were left speechless by his appearance on the CCTV. Son Dam-bi said, "He probably only wanted to protect his daughter," expressing sympathy. Lawyer Park Jun-young angrily said, "They completely destroyed a family. How can you turn simple people into such vicious criminals?"
In January 2022, a retrial petition was filed and the court accepted it. With the start of the retrial, an order to suspend the execution of the sentence was issued, the first such case in Korea's judicial history. Through this, the father and daughter were able to leave prison after 12 years.
That day, through Kkokkomu the father and daughter revealed their faces in person. The father, who was 59 at the time, is now 75. He could not easily speak about the intervening years, saying, "I cannot talk about it. It's just appalling." The daughter, who first agreed to an interview through Kkokkomu after the case, has gone from a 25-year-old young woman to a 41-year-old middle-aged woman. When asked about prison life, she said with difficulty, "It was hard," and confessed, "I couldn't look at my father. I only felt the guilt that everything was my fault," which moved viewers to tears.
New evidence was discovered during the retrial. Records the prosecution had not submitted included more than 70 items that indicated the possibility of the father and daughter's innocence. In particular, discrepancies emerged between the prosecution's claim about the "makgeolli purchase" circumstances and the amount of cyanide. Listeners unanimously reacted, "It gives me goosebumps," and "How brazen. I can't believe it," unable to contain their anger.
In October 2025 the retrial court acquitted the father and daughter. It was 16 years after the incident. However, the case was not fully closed. Police records contained clues suggesting another suspect existed, and in November 2025 the police announced a full reinvestigation of the case. Finally, the father delivered what he most wanted to say in a handwritten note: "I have lived keeping my eyes forward and working hard." The listeners could not hold back their tears at the father's words.
Meanwhile, at the end of the broadcast a scene showing the extradition of the so-called "Telegram drug king" Park Wang-yeol to Korea drew attention. The released footage showed Park Wang-yeol, who had been extradited through Incheon International Airport, refusing to answer reporters' questions.
Through the Jan. 15 episode "Special target K - the birth of the drug king," Kkokkomu tracked Park Wang-yeol's shocking crimes, from the sugarcane field murder to supplying drugs on Telegram, and urged that Park Wang-yeol be brought to trial in Korea. Viewers' anger grew as evidence showed his crimes continued, including directing drug distribution even after being imprisoned in a Philippine prison.
Subsequently, the Korean government formally requested Park Wang-yeol's provisional surrender from the Philippines, accelerating his extradition to Korea. On the 25th, Park Wang-yeol's return to Korea was finally completed, drawing major attention. Kkokkomu host Jang Seongkyu said, "Isn't it because there are reasons to remember past cases and things that can still be changed?" and said Kkokkomu will continue to deliver stories that must not be forgotten.
After the broadcast, various SNS and online communities reacted, saying, "I'm outraged that lives were ruined for performance reasons," "They hid 70 pieces of evidence that prove innocence? It's absurd," "I can't stop crying reading the father's writing," "It's so sad that after 12 years in prison the father and daughter couldn't even look each other in the eye," "This is why retrial lawyers are needed," "Kkokkomu should keep reporting cases like this," and "The drug king is finally back in Korea. I hope he's properly punished," among other heated responses.
Meanwhile, Kkokkomu is a program in which three storytellers study on their own and convey what they felt to each of their "story friends" one-on-one in the most everyday spaces, and it airs on SBS every Thursday at 10:20 p.m.
[Photo] SBS
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