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Korea Herald
29-06-2025
- Korea Herald
Murderer who lured young victims to sea with false kindness dies behind bars
Oh Jong-geun, Korea's oldest death row inmate, killed four tourists in 2007 A death row inmate convicted of multiple sexual assaults and murders has died in prison at the age of 86, nearly two decades after he was incarcerated for committing the heinous crimes in 2007. It was belatedly reported Sunday that Oh Jong-geun, born in July 1938, died last year at the Gwangju Correctional Institution, where he had been imprisoned. He had become the oldest person in Korean history to be sentenced to death in June 2010, a month before he turned 72. The cause of death was not revealed to the public. Oh was a fisherman who lived his entire life in Boseong-gun, South Jeolla Province, and committed two separate double murders. On Aug. 31, 2007, he took a young couple both aged 19 out to sea, where he pushed the male victim into the water and murdered him. He then sexually assaulted the woman before killing her. The second attack occurred on Sept. 25, when he attempted to sexually assault two young women on his boat in the same manner as the first attack. In both attacks, he is believed to have used a fishing pole to strike the victims and keep them from climbing back onto the boat. The victims were reported as missing, and the deaths in the first attack were initially thought to be an accident, even after the bodies were found. But investigators suspected foul play after they found that one of the victims in the second attack had sent a text message to a woman whom she had met by chance shortly before getting on Oh's boat. The woman who received the text had earlier asked one of the victims to let her use her cellphone to call her husband, whom she had lost track of while on a family trip. This left the husband's phone number on the victim's phone, enabling the victim to send a text message saying, "We're the people who lent you our phone. I think we're locked inside a boat. Please call the police." The couple attempted to call the victims throughout the night to no avail, and learned the next day that one of the women had been found dead at sea. They said they had offered to give the victims a ride, but the two women declined, saying they were about to go on a boat ride offered by "a kind old man." Investigation and aftermath The police grew suspicious and searched the nearby docks, pinpointing a single boat that had switched positions on the day of the attack -- indicating that the boat had been used. A subsequent search found the victims' hair and belongings such as credit cards and pens, which prompted officers to arrest Oh at his home. Oh admitted to the September attack, but claimed that the deaths in the August attack were purely an accident. The victims' DNA was not found on the murder weapon, and the recorded call from the female victim's phone to the 119 emergency center was not conclusive. However, authorities recovered the female victim's digital camera, which had fallen into the water, and the National Forensic Service managed to restore the data to find incriminating photos of Oh onboard the boat. He was indicted for the murder of four people, and received the death penalty from the Gwangju District Court in February 2008 for rape and murder. Despite the evidence, he denied committing the crimes, claiming he was too old and frail to harm young people, and even saying at one point it was their own fault for trying to get a boat ride for free. Oh's crime dealt a fatal blow to his family as well. His oldest son reportedly took his own life in 2008, a year after the crimes. His wife left their hometown and went to live with their daughter in Seoul. Another of his daughters, who remained in Boseong, told visiting reporters that she had nothing to do with the man who committed the crimes. Oh would continue to fight his sentence, filing a constitutional complaint seeking a punishment less severe than the death penalty. It was the second constitutional complaint ever filed challenging the death penalty itself. But the Constitutional Court ruled against Oh in a 5-4 decision in 2010, and the Supreme Court later that year upheld the sentence. While South Korea's legal system upholds capital punishment as the most severe penalty for a crime, it is internationally considered to have de facto abolished the death penalty as it has not carried out an execution since 1997. As of 2024, Ministry of Justice data showed that 53 people were serving indefinite prison sentences after receiving the death penalty, excluding death row inmates held at the Military Correctional Institution. The last time a death sentence was handed down was in 2016, sentencing soldier Im Do-bin to death for a shooting spree at a military barracks that killed five and injured nine.
Indian Express
14-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Indian Express
Kim Soo Hyun loses millions in assets to home appliance brand after luxury apartment seizure; fails to pay damages
Kim Soo Hyun's legal trouble isn't slowing down anytime soon. After losing one of his four luxury apartments to skincare company CLASSYS, the K-drama actor has now reportedly lost millions worth of assets to another advertiser. Cuckoo, a popular home appliance brand in South Korea, dropped him as brand ambassador after his dating controversy with late actor Kim Sae Ron gained traction. He had worked as their exclusive model for over a decade and was recently signed to represent their Chinese subsidiary. The lawsuit was filed by the company's electronic sector, which brings in over 90% of Holdings' revenue. On April 24, they filed a request to freeze about 100 million KRW (roughly $73,500 USD) worth of Kim's personal assets, including his bank accounts and loans, and the paperwork was approved on May 20, according to K-media outlet New Daily. Also read: Kim Soo Hyun's loses luxury apartment as he fails to pay penalty fee, a day after winning court order to seize Kim Se Ui's properties Earlier, Kim's legal team moved to the National Forensic Service to challenge Garso Sero's evidence, based on which multiple advertisers sued him last month. The YouTube channel's host, Kim Se Ui, had accused the actor of being in an 'inappropriate relationship' with the late Bloodhounds star and released photographs, audio recordings, and more to back his claims, most of which were labelled as fabricated by Kim's agency, Gold Medalist. Also read: Kim Soo Hyun moves National Forensic Service after his plush apartment seized; to challenge Garosero's 'fabricated' evidence On May 2, the advertiser filed another lawsuit, this time demanding 850 million KRW (around $625,000 USD) in damages. This time, they brought in Homesys (a rental services arm), their Malaysian subsidiary, and other CUCKOO Holdings affiliates to file a joint lawsuit against both the actor and his one-man agency, demanding 2.03 billion KRW (around $1.47 million USD) in damages. The case was referred to the 22nd Civil Division of the Seoul Central District Court. Meanwhile, the earlier 850 million KRW claim was assigned to the 7th Civil Division of the Seoul Eastern District Court. So now, Kim's legal team will have to fight the same lawsuits in multiple courts. Meanwhile, one of its subsidiaries reportedly filed a 50 million KRW (about $36,600 USD) provisional seizure against Gold Medalist. This was also approved by the court on May 27. This was followed by an April 25 lawsuit from a cosmetic company that sued the actor, demanding 510 million KRW (roughly $367,000 USD), though the name of the company has not been disclosed yet. The move came just days after a medical aesthetics company seized one of his posh properties in Seongsu-dong, Seoul, freezing it for 3 billion KRW (around $2.21 million USD). Meanwhile, Kim's fans across the globe have accused these advertisers of riding the actor's success during his peak era and now abandoning him over a controversy that hasn't reached a conclusion yet, causing secondary harm. They stress that these companies are targeting someone who is already facing false allegations. The fans have launched a campaign to boycott these brands.
Pink Villa
13-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Pink Villa
Kim Soo Hyun fights back after 3 billion KRW home seizure, requests forensic analysis on Garosero's ‘proof' of dating Kim Sae Ron
The legal storm surrounding Kim Soo Hyun has reached new heights. South Korea's National Forensic Service (NFS) is now being pulled into the dispute to assess the authenticity of digital evidence. At the heart of the storm is a tangled web of accusations. It includes allegations of dating a minor, forged chat logs, and mounting financial damages. This marks it one of the most serious celebrity legal clashes in recent years. National Forensic Service steps in Given the nature of the claims, Kim Soo Hyun' s legal team has formally requested a digital forensic investigation by the National Forensic Service. The aim is to determine the authenticity of the widely circulated chat messages, images, and voice recordings. All were released by the Garosero Institute as supposed 'proof' of an inappropriate relationship. The legal team insists these materials were deliberately altered. If proven, the NFS review could be a turning point in the case. It would not only exonerate Kim Soo Hyun but also corroborate claims made by his accusers. Kim Soo Hyun's property seized This move comes on the heels of a recent court ruling. On May 20, the Seoul Eastern District Court approved a provisional seizure order targeting Kim Soo Hyun's luxury property in Galleria Forêt. It's a high-profile residential complex in Seoul. The unit, reportedly valued at 3 billion KRW (approx. 2.2 million USD), was frozen following a request by CLASSYS. It's a medical aesthetics company behind the brand Volnewmer. CLASSYS had previously named Kim Soo Hyun as their model. However, after damaging allegations surfaced involving the actor and the late Kim Sae Ron, the company terminated their endorsement contract. They pursued legal recourse for reputational damage and breach of trust. Kim Soo Hyun's camp fires back In response, Kim Soo Hyun's legal representative, attorney Bang Sung Hoon from LKB & Partners, stated that the court's seizure approval was unjustified. He argued it was based on misleading and malicious claims. According to him, Kim is not the perpetrator, but a "victim of criminal slander by Garosero Institute." The attorney asserted, "Their false claims that Kim dated and exploited the underage Kim Sae Ron led to these consequences. The blame lies with the instigators, not Kim." Conflicting timelines Central to the controversy is the timeline of Kim Soo Hyun's alleged romantic involvement with Kim Sae Ron. The actor maintains that their relationship began in early 2019 when Kim Sae Ron had already reached the legal age of adulthood. They ended amicably in 2020, according to the actor. However, Garosero Institute and Kim Sae Ron's family strongly refute that claim. According to them, the relationship began far earlier, around late 2015, when Kim Sae Ron was still underage. They allege the two were in a private relationship for nearly six years, until mid-2021.
The Star
26-05-2025
- The Star
Alarming rise in synthetic cannabis use among youth
NEW psychoactive substances now make up 35% of all drug analysis requests, with a sharp rise in synthetic cannabis use among teenagers – often in e-cigarette form – and increasing cases of polysubstance use among people in their 20s and 30s, according to a report from the South Korean state-run National Forensic Service (NFS). According to the S, 34.9% of illegal drugs identified in confiscated items in 2024 were synthetic, a significant increase in five years since 2019, when 9.7% were synthetic. 'New psychoactive substances' refer to newly synthesised substances designed to mimic the effects of banned drugs such as cannabis, cocaine and LSD, with slight chemical modifications to avoid detection or classification under existing drug laws. According to the S, the new psychoactive drug substances in South Korea that were most found in 2024 include synthetic cannabis and synthetic analogues of ketamine, making up 15.2% and 10.1%, respectively, of the overall numbers, and more than two-thirds of the seized synthetic drugs. For synthetic cannabis, the S added that 3,868 out of the total of 5,650 confiscated items were in liquid form, with 1,262 found inside e-cigarette cartridges and 2,606 holding similarity to e-liquids that fill such cartridges. 'Due to an increase of synthetic cannabis being distributed to look no different from e-liquids used in e-cigarettes, it has gotten especially difficult to identify them as drugs,' the S stated in its press release on May 25. Other than the new psychoactive drugs, the S added that other prohibited drugs such as methamphetamine and marijuana were also among the most discovered. In 2024, 47.7% of drugs confiscated by the S were methamphetamine, while marijuana made up 12.1% of the confiscated drugs. Methamphetamine use showed relatively even distribution across different age groups. The highest number of users were found among those in their 30s at 5,754 cases, followed by those in their 20s at 5,550 cases. The S also uncovered 213 cases involving teenagers. In 2024, the S added that the total number of drug analysis cases submitted to the service amounted to 120,703, a threefold increase compared to its numbers from 2018, which were some 43,000 cases at the time. The S added that drug-related crackdowns in 2024 were 'focused more on drug distributors than drug abusers'. This is evidenced by a 12% increase in analyses done on seized items by the S, contrasted with 17% and 15% decreases in urine and hair follicle tests, respectively, conducted on suspected drug users. — The Korea Herald/ANN
The Star
26-05-2025
- The Star
South Korea sees sharp rise in synthetic cannabis use among teenagers
SEOUL: New psychoactive substances now make up 35 per cent of all drug analysis requests, with a sharp rise in synthetic cannabis use among teenagers — often in e-cigarette form — and increasing cases of polysubstance use among people in their 20s and 30s, according to a report from the South Korean state-run National Forensic Service (NFS). According to the NFS, 34.9 per cent of illegal drugs identified in confiscated items in 2024 were synthetic, a significant increase in five years since 2019, when 9.7 per cent were synthetic. 'New psychoactive substances' refer to newly synthesised substances designed to mimic the effects of banned drugs such as cannabis, cocaine and LSD, with slight chemical modifications to avoid detection or classification under existing drug laws. According to the NFS, the new psychoactive drug substances in South Korea that were most found in 2024 include synthetic cannabis and synthetic analogs of ketamine, making up 15.2 per cent and 10.1 per cent, respectively, of the overall numbers, and more than two-thirds of the seized synthetic drugs. For synthetic cannabis, the NFS added that 3,868 out of the total of 5,650 confiscated items were in liquid form, with 1,262 found inside e-cigarette cartridges and 2,606 holding similarity to e-liquids that fill such cartridges. 'Due to an increase of synthetic cannabis being distributed to look no different to e-liquids used in e-cigarettes, it has gotten especially difficult to identify them as drugs,' the NFS stated in its press release on May 25. Other than the new psychoactive drugs, the NFS added that other prohibited drugs such as methamphetamine and marijuana were also among the most discovered. In 2024, 47.7 per cent of drugs confiscated by the NFS were methamphetamine, while marijuana made up 12.1 per cent of the confiscated drugs. Methamphetamine use showed relatively even distribution across different age groups. The highest number of users were found among those in their 30s at 5,754 cases, followed by those in their 20s at 5,550 cases. The NFS also uncovered 213 cases involving teenagers. In 2024, the NFS added that the total number of drug analysis cases submitted to the service amounted to 120,703, a threefold increase compared to its numbers from 2018, which were some 43,000 cases at the time. The NFS added that drug-related crackdowns were 'focused more on drug distributors than drug abusers' in 2024, as there was a 12 per cent increase in analyses done on items seized by the NFS, while there were 17 per cent and 15 per cent decreases in urine tests and hair follicle tests, respectively, conducted on suspected drug users. - The Korea Herald/ANN
