Explore 24 documented cases from South Korea. Each file separates established findings from allegations and unresolved questions, with a focus on investigation rather than graphic detail.
A 28-year-old woman called police after being abducted in Suwon in April 2012, but the emergency response failed to locate her in time. Oh Won-chun was convicted of kidnapping and murder, and South Korea's Supreme Court finalized his life sentence in 2013.
Open case file →Five South Korean soldiers were killed and seven wounded in a 2014 shooting at an Army outpost in Goseong. A sergeant identified in court reporting as Lim was convicted, and the Supreme Court finalized his death sentence in 2016.
Open case file →Four travelers were murdered in two boat-related attacks off Boseong in 2007. Oh Jong-geun was convicted, his death sentence became final in 2010, and he died in prison in 2024.
Open case file →Five people died in a cyanide poisoning series linked to Kim Sun-ja between 1986 and 1988. She was convicted, sentenced to death and executed in South Korea in 1997.
Open case file →Koh Yu-jeong was convicted of the premeditated 2019 murder of her former husband on Jeju Island and sentenced to life imprisonment, a judgment upheld by South Korea's Supreme Court.
Open case file →Kim Tae-hyun stalked a woman he met online and murdered her, her mother and younger sister in Seoul. South Korea's Supreme Court finalized his life sentence in 2022.
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Nine-year-old Lee Hyung-ho was kidnapped from a Seoul playground in 1991. Weeks of ransom calls followed, but no perpetrator was ever identified or convicted.
Open case file →A young woman was murdered by a stranger in a restroom near Seoul's Gangnam Station in May 2016. A man identified by the surname Kim was convicted, and South Korea's Supreme Court finalized a 30-year prison term in April 2017.
Open case file →A freelance tutor was murdered in Busan after being contacted through a tutoring app. Jung Yoo-jung was convicted and South Korea's Supreme Court finalized her life sentence in June 2024.
Open case file →A Seoul Metro employee was murdered after years of stalking by a former colleague; the Supreme Court finalized a life sentence in 2023.
Open case file →The Supreme Court finalized a 20-year sentence for the teenage principal offender and 13 years for a second defendant convicted of aiding the crime.
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Five Daegu schoolboys disappeared in 1991. Their remains were found in 2002; police were still reexamining evidence and records in 2026.
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Yoo Young-chul murdered wealthy older people and later women in Seoul during 2003 and 2004.
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Jeong Nam-gyu carried out a series of attacks and murders in Seoul and surrounding areas.
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Kang Ho-sun was convicted of murdering several women in Gyeonggi Province.
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A small criminal group kidnapped and killed several people in South Korea in the early 1990s.
Open case file →The 2003 arson at Jungangno Station killed 192 people and led to a life sentence and major safety reforms.
Open case file →Yoon Sang-yeop's 2019 drowning was ultimately adjudicated as murder.
Open case file →The 1997 killing of Cho Joong-pil was solved after extradition and a later conviction.
Open case file →The 1995 collapse killed 502 people; criminal proceedings established negligence and corruption.
Open case file →The 2014 sinking killed 304 people; the Supreme Court upheld the captain's murder conviction and life sentence.
Open case file →The Telegram-based sexual-exploitation ring was prosecuted as an organized criminal operation; South Korea's Supreme Court finalized Cho's 42-year sentence in 2021.
Open case file →A serving police officer killed dozens of residents; later reviews documented major failures in the police response.
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