Killer disappears with high school girl's hands|Yeongdong School Girl Murder Case|True Crime Korea
Summary
TLDRIn 'Dark Asia,' Megan Lee delves into the chilling case of Chon Soyun, an 18-year-old aspiring baker whose mutilated body was found under a bag of cement at a construction site. The puzzling murder, with no signs of rape or robbery, and the victim's hands severed, has left investigators stumped. Suspects range from a construction worker with a criminal past to acquaintances of the victim. Despite various leads, the case remains unsolved, with the family still seeking closure after over two decades.
Takeaways
- 🎓 Chon Soyun was an 18-year-old high school junior with dreams of becoming a baker and was well-liked by her peers.
- 🕘 Soyun worked part-time at an accessory store and was last seen there on the evening of March 7, 2001, after her boss left around 7 PM.
- 📞 The store owner tried to contact Soyun at 8:35 PM but received no response, indicating she had gone missing by then.
- 🏗️ Soyun's body was found by a construction worker under a bag of cement at the construction site near the accessory store the next morning.
- 🕊️ There were no signs of rape or struggle, and her hands were disturbingly cut off, suggesting a deliberate act by the killer.
- 🕰️ The estimated time frame for Soyun's disappearance and murder was a 15-minute window between 8:20 and 8:35 PM.
- 🔍 The police suspected that Soyun either stepped out to meet someone or use the bathroom and was killed at the construction site or elsewhere.
- 🗑️ Soyun's severed hands were found in a stream, placed deliberately with the palms up, and with excessively short nails, indicating an attempt to destroy evidence.
- 👣 The investigation initially focused on construction workers due to their access to the site and the use of a pickaxe found at the scene.
- 👥 Several individuals connected to Soyun emerged as potential suspects, including a construction worker with a criminal record and acquaintances who had contact with her on the day of the incident.
- 🔮 Despite various leads and suspects, the case remains unsolved, with the police and a cold case investigation unit continuing to search for new information.
Q & A
Who is the host of the podcast 'Dark Asia'?
-The host of the podcast 'Dark Asia' is Megan Lee.
What was Chon Soyun's occupation and aspirations?
-Chon Soyun was an 18-year-old high school student who worked part-time at an accessory store and aspired to become a baker.
When did Chon Soyun go missing?
-Chon Soyun went missing on the evening of March 7, 2001.
What unusual condition was Chon Soyun found in after her disappearance?
-Chon Soyun was found dead with both of her hands severed, and a deep imprint on her neck, but no signs of rape or struggle.
Where were Chon Soyun's severed hands eventually found?
-Chon Soyun's severed hands were found in the water under a stream bridge about 200 meters from the construction site where her body was discovered.
What led the police to initially suspect a construction worker as the killer?
-The discovery of a blood-stained pickaxe at the construction site and the fact that the victim's hands were very cleanly cut off led the police to initially suspect a construction worker.
What evidence made the construction worker Yoon a person of interest in the case?
-Yoon was found to have a promotional pen from the accessory store where Chon Soyun worked, he didn't report the body immediately, and he had a criminal record including for assault.
What was the significance of the bag of cement under which Chon Soyun's body was found?
-The bag of cement was significant because it was on top of which a ballpoint pen with a car brand name was discovered, linking it to a local salesman and construction worker who became a person of interest.
What was the role of the broadcaster's coverage in 2014 in relation to the case?
-The broadcaster's coverage in 2014 brought up a new suspect, a friend of Chon Soyun named Huang, who had sent her numerous messages confessing his love and had called her on the day of the incident.
What new information emerged from a tip-off received by the police in 2018?
-In 2018, a woman who was 10 years old at the time of the murder provided a new account of seeing a suspicious man near the construction site on the evening of the incident, which led to the identification of a new suspect, a carpenter surnamed Kim.
Why was the case considered a cold case and what is the current status of the investigation?
-The case is considered a cold case due to the lack of conclusive evidence and the passage of time. The investigation is ongoing, with the Chumbuk Provincial Police Agency's cold case unit continuing to pursue leads.
Outlines
📚 The Disappearance of Chon Soyun
The first paragraph introduces the story of Chon Soyun, an 18-year-old high school student from Yongdong County, North Chungcheong Province, South Korea. Soyun was a model student with dreams of becoming a baker. She worked part-time at an accessory store and was last seen on March 7, 2001. After her shift, she was supposed to deliver medicine for the store owner but went missing. Her body was found the next morning at a construction site near the store, with both hands severed. The police suspected she was killed during a 15-minute window between 8:20 and 8:35 PM. The store was found with its lights on but the door locked, suggesting Soyun intended to return. The mystery deepens as investigators struggle to determine whether she was killed at the construction site or elsewhere.
🔍 Investigation and Speculations
The second paragraph delves into the investigation of Soyun's murder. The discovery of her severed hands in a nearby stream, placed deliberately with palms up, adds to the mystery. The absence of DNA evidence on the hands and the timing of their disposal suggest the killer had considered what to do with them. The lack of blood at the construction site where Soyun was found indicates her hands were severed post-mortem. The police initially focused on construction workers due to their access to the site and the murder weapon, a pickaxe. A construction worker named Yoon, who found Soyun's body, becomes a prime suspect due to inconsistencies in his story and physical evidence linking him to the crime. However, the case remains unsolved, with various leads and suspects emerging over time.
📞 New Suspects and Unraveled Leads
The third paragraph introduces new suspects and leads in the case. A friend of Soyun named Huang, who had previously expressed his love for her, is suspected due to his frequent communication with her on the day of her disappearance. Another friend, Park, is noted for his suspicious absence from school after the discovery of Soyun's hands. A new lead in 2018 from a woman who was 10 years old at the time of the murder suggests a man near the construction site on the evening of the incident. This leads to the suspicion of a carpenter named Kim, whose alibi was not properly confirmed. Despite the various suspects and leads, the case remains unsolved, with the cold case investigation unit continuing to search for answers.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡True Crime
💡Unsolved Mysteries
💡High School Student
💡Model Student
💡Part-Time Job
💡Murder
💡Strangulation
💡Severed Hands
💡Construction Site
💡Suspect
💡Cold Case
Highlights
Introduction to the podcast 'Dark Asia' with Megan Lee, focusing on true crime cases and unsolved mysteries in Asia.
Story of Chon Soyun, an 18-year-old girl with dreams of becoming a baker, who went missing on March 7, 2001.
Soyun's disappearance occurred during a 15-minute window while working alone at an accessory store.
Discovery of Soyun's body under a bag of cement at a construction site with a deep imprint on her neck but no signs of rape or struggle.
Both of Soyun's hands were cut off, raising questions about the killer's motive and method.
Police suspicion that Soyun was killed during her shift based on the store's locked door and unclosed shutters.
Investigation of the construction site where a blood-stained pickaxe was found, suggesting the murder weapon.
The puzzling discovery of Soyun's severed hands in a stream, placed deliberately with short nails, indicating an attempt to destroy evidence.
Analysis suggesting the hands were discarded hours before being found, challenging the timeline of the murder.
Speculation about the killer's familiarity with the construction site and the difficulty of public access.
Introduction of a new suspect, a construction worker named Yoon, who found Soyun's body and had a criminal record.
Yoon's inconsistent behavior and the discovery of a promotional pen linking him to the crime scene.
The revelation of fractures on Soyun's wrists, indicating the killer was not as skilled as initially thought.
Introduction of other suspects, including Soyun's friend Huang, who had a history of confessing his love to her.
The suspicious behavior of Soyun's friend Park, who was absent from school after the discovery of her hands.
A new tip-off in 2018 from a woman recalling a suspicious man near the construction site on the night of the murder.
The naming of a new suspect, a carpenter named Kim, whose alibi was not properly confirmed.
The ongoing pursuit of the killer by the cold case investigation unit, with hopes for new information to provide closure to Soyun's family.
Transcripts
[Music]
[Music]
hello everyone welcome to dark asia with
megan this is megan lee who will be
telling you notorious true crime cases
and unsolved mysteries of asia
parts of these stories may contain
opinions and speculations these stories
depict violent crimes of all types and
contain graphic content so listener
discretion is advised
let's start with today's story
spring a time for new beginnings and for
high school students that means the
start of a brand new year and the
excitement and challenges that come with
it
this was the case for chon soyun an 18
year old girl from kesani in yongdong
county north chungcheong province who
was a junior
soyun who dreamed of becoming a baker
was a model student
she was also popular among her peers
especially among the boys but she didn't
let this get in the way of her studies
and dreams
in addition she worked part-time after
school at an accessory store which is
where she was late in the afternoon on
march 7
2001.
soyun arrived at the store at 5pm ate
dinner and started her shift the owner a
woman surnamed kim went home two hours
later around seven pm meaning huyun
would have been all alone until she got
off at nine
forty-five minutes later
the owner called soyun at the store
asking her for a favor to drop off
medicine that she had left there on her
way home
the owner phoned soyun again this time
at 8 35 pm but there was no answer and
she was unreachable
where had she gone
15 minutes prior she was seen at the
store by a passerby a woman who ran a
restaurant nearby the store owner
couldn't get a hold of soyun even after
nine when she should have been on her
way to drop off the medicine
swin's family was starting to get
worried while the owner realized that
her employee had gone missing
from then on soyun's parents spent all
night looking for their daughter the
following morning at 7 am a construction
worker in his 50s surname yoon was
preparing to start his stay at a site
near the accessory store
while heading down to the basement level
of the construction site to gather his
tools he saw something in the corner but
wasn't there a day earlier
under a bag of cement he found the body
of a high school girl who was still
wearing her uniform it was chong soyun
who was reported missing the day before
with the exception of a deep imprint on
her neck there were no signs of rape or
struggle with no external injuries as
well as no signs of a mugging as all the
cash she had on her was left untouched
but a closer look at the body revealed
something very disturbing
both of soyun's hands were cut off
police spoke with locals and witnesses
and suspected that suyun went missing
and was killed during a 15-minute window
between 8 20 and 8 35 pm
now let's take a look at the accessory
store where she worked for a minute
its shutters weren't closed the lights
were still on but the store's door was
locked
that showed soyun left the store for a
short time and was planning to return
before getting off at nine
investigators could not figure out
whether she had stepped out to meet
someone or to use the bathroom
they also had a hard time determining
whether she was killed at the
construction site where she was found or
elsewhere and later dumped at the site
after the discovery of an apparently
blood-stained pickaxe at the scene
police came to the initial conclusion
that the killer strangled the victim and
cut off her hands with the axe
it was later determined that the pickaxe
was used often at the construction site
but the mystery remained
why were her hands cut off
on march 9 a day after the victim's body
was found
what were believed to be her severed
hands were spotted in the water under a
stream bridge around 200 meters from the
site
the palms were faced up as if someone
had intentionally placed them that way
the nails on the hands were also
excessively short unlike the long nails
the victim preferred
showing the possibility the killer tried
to destroy evidence
but no clues about the perpetrator such
as dna were detected on the hands
a detailed analysis led to the belief
that the hands were discarded in the
water three hours before they were found
rather than right after soyun's murder
the question arose of why the killer
went through the trouble of ditching the
hands in the stream where it could have
been found easily
the stream was also nearly completely
frozen making it difficult to conclude
the hands floated downstream
that means the severed hands were
intentionally placed in the stream under
the bridge
experts said this was careless rather
than discreet and they assumed the hands
were discarded in the stream after the
killer debated what to do with them
there was something else that could be
assumed about the perpetrator
the fact that there were almost no
traces of blood in the vicinity of the
construction site where the hands were
believed to have been cut off was also
strange
if the hands were severed while the
victim was still alive
there would have been considerable
amount of blood at the site but only a
few drops were discovered
meaning the killer most likely cut the
hands after she was dead
again investigators couldn't wrap their
heads around why the girl's hands were
removed
police did notice however that the
victim's hands were very cleanly cut off
helping them to realize whoever was
behind the crime was probably very
skilled with a pickaxe and that is why
they focused on construction workers at
the start of their probe
but later after some time went by
fractures were found on the wrists
meaning several attempts were made to
cut off the hands
and this showed the killer wasn't
necessarily skilled at using a pickaxe
after all
despite dead ends in the investigation
there were various other pieces of
evidence
remember the bag of cement the victim
was found under
a ballpoint pen with a car brand name on
it was discovered on top of the bag it
was a promotional pen handed out by a
local salesman
yoon the construction worker who first
found the girl had the same pen and he
became a person of interest police asked
him if he had the pen on him but he
couldn't give a straight answer it was
also odd when it was revealed that yoon
didn't report the body he found right
away he rather went to the restaurant
his wife owned nearby and asked her to
do it instead
when he was asked why he did that he
gave various reasons
one of them being he was afraid because
he had a criminal record including for
assault
after a few lies were detected in a
police polygraph he became the prime
suspect
the imprint found on the victim's neck
was very similar to the one of the soles
of yoon's shoes there were even
fingernail scratches on the back of his
hands
everything seemed to fall into place
but the footprint wasn't an outline but
rather part of a wave pattern from the
sole of a shoe
making it difficult to definitely
conclude that it was yoon's shoe
even the cuts on the back of his hands
were not enough to establish that he had
anything to do with the murder that
there was a struggle with the victim as
they were discovered a week after the
incident
in an interview with a local broadcaster
in 2014 yun said he was falsely accused
and that police forced his confession at
the time there was indeed a reason that
police focused on construction workers
as their main suspects
it was difficult for the general public
to enter the basement level of the
construction site especially dark and
isolated parts
the person that dumped the body at the
site must have been also very familiar
with their surroundings in addition
there was a high fence set up around the
site at the time and the two entrances
towards the road were locked this means
the killer could have only used a back
door that only they likely knew about
but let's take a look at this case from
a different perspective and other
possible scenarios
we could also suspect the perpetrator
was an acquaintance or friend of the
victim this possibility resurfaced in
2014 13 years after the murder a local
broadcaster covered the case and looked
into the store's phone records
and here comes another possible suspect
a voicer named huang a friend of soyuz
he had sent her as many as 29 messages
confessing his love for her and on the
day of the incident huang called soyun
at the store around 7 30 pm
and they talked for about three minutes
around an hour later at 8 27 pm
huang phoned her again at the store but
that conversation lasted only around 19
seconds
no one will ever know what they talked
about the production crew finally got a
hold of huang but he made excuses saying
he doesn't remember sending soyun any
messages or even calling her and then he
was later unreachable
huang wasn't the only suspicious
character
soyun's other friend a boy surnamed park
was absent from school for two days
after her severed hands were found
also the detective in charge at the time
sent a text message to all of swyn's
friends asking them why they think the
killer cut off her hands and there was
only one friend who sent a reply
anonymously
it was puk
he had also consistently mentioned
soyun's murder case online he was asked
by the production crew at the time why
he left such messages and he answered in
a very unpleasant manner saying he was
emotional
there were scores of suspicious
characters but not too much information
about the victim's friends existed at
the early stages of the investigation
it's probably because most of the
efforts and resources at the time were
poured into looking into the
construction workers
but then after some more time passed in
2018 the police received another tip-off
from a woman who was 10 years old at the
time of the murder in 2001.
it was a stunner of a new story
she said she remembered meeting a man
near the construction site
adding he was lightly dressed with a
windbreaker
and a backpack
she said he asked her where the bathroom
was
but in a very luring way which made her
run towards her mom's car
she clearly remembers it was around 7
10
in the evening
that wasn't all
she said that while she was waiting for
her mom in the car
she saw the man again but this time he
was taking a girl somewhere
and even heard her scream
she wrapped up her account by saying
that the man reappeared with a
mysteriously looking plastic bag
her testimony was used to name a new
suspect a carpenter surnamed kim
whose alibi wasn't confirmed properly
then on the day of the incident kim told
his fellow workers that he was traveling
to his hometown of busan
because he hurt his eye
this
eliminated him from the investigation
because he had left the yongdong region
but a tv program covering the case
re-examined it and requested an
interview with him which he willingly
agreed to he said
he was lightly dressed on that day
wearing hiking clothes and a backpack
he also said it doesn't make sense that
he would commit such an act if he was
going to rape someone
he was the one who said the word rape
first
profilers and the production crew had no
choice but to be very suspicious of the
man
could he be the killer
after an investigation he was reportedly
ruled out as a suspect
and the cold case investigation unit at
the chumbuk provincial police agency is
continuing its pursuit of the killer
all we can do now is hope and wait until
someone reveals new information about
what actually happened on that cold
early spring night over 21 years ago to
finally gimson's family closure
megan's case files will continue next
episode thanks for watching
[Music]
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