South Korea’s Lee Chun-Jae had his day in court Monday, Nov. 2, 2020. He admitted to killing 14 females over 30 years ago. Lee stated that he was surprised that he did not get caught sooner.
Wrongly Accused
A man by the name of Yoon was convicted of a 13-year-old girl that was raped and murdered in 1988. Lee’s confession of the murder and rape cleared Yoon.
Yoon’s full name has been held back from being published because of South Korean law that protects suspects and criminals’ privacy. He was incarcerated for 20 years for a crime he did not commit.
Confession
Lee also confessed to five more murders than the nine they knew about, bringing the murder total to 14. He also confessed to committing 30 sexual assaults that did not involve murder.
It took some 30 years for DNA technology to link him in three of the nine cases. Lee was currently in jail, serving a life sentence for the rape and murder of his sister-in-law. Investigators questioned him nine-time before he gave in and confessed.
Director-General Speaks To Press
Ban Ki-soo, director general at the agency, stated to the press:
When we told him the DNA test results, he said, I knew someday this day would come and what I did would be disclosed
The victims ranged in age from 14 to 71 and were all strangled; some of their bodies had been mutilated
The judicial slap in the face is the 15-year statute of limitations has expired on these crimes, meaning Lee won’t be charged.
Written by Omari Jahi
Edited by Cathy Milne-Ware
Sources:
CNN: Man who confessed to being one of South Korea’s most notorious serial killers says he’s surprised he wasn’t caught sooner, Yoonjung Seo and Julia Hollingsworth
The Korea Times: Hwaseong serial killer confesses to 14 murders, 30 sexual assaults, Kim Hyun-bin
Newser: A Decades-Long Serial Killer Case Ends With Confession, Jenn Gidman,
Featured Image by Jordiferrer Courtesy of Wikimedia – Creative Commons License
Inset Image by Ban Ki-moon in Addis-Ababa Courtesy of Wikimedia – Creative Commons License