What happened
The Chijon Family was a small criminal group that kidnapped and killed several people in South Korea in the early 1990s, claiming resentment toward the wealthy.
The investigation
The case broke open after a surviving captive escaped and alerted authorities. Police then searched the group’s base and uncovered evidence of multiple crimes.
What the courts or investigators concluded
Members of the group were convicted, and several principal offenders were executed in 1995.
Why the case remains significant
The case remains notorious because it combined kidnapping, organized group violence and an ideological narrative that the offenders used to rationalize attacks on strangers.
Case context
Crime by Region organizes cases geographically so readers can move from one file to other investigations from the same country. For unresolved or contested cases, the wording above reflects the distinction between confirmed events, investigative theories and findings actually established in court.