Yoo Young-Chul
Encyclopedia
Yoo Young-chul is a South Korea
n serial killer
and self-confessed cannibal. Although he admitted to murder
ing 21 people, mostly prostitutes and wealthy old men, the Seoul
Central District Court convicted him of 20 murders (one case was dismissed on a technicality). Yoo burned three and mutilated at least 11 of his victims, admitting he ate the liver
s of some of them. He committed his crimes between September 2003 and July 2004, when he was arrested. Yoo explained his motives in front of a TV camera saying "Women shouldn't be sluts, and the rich should know what they've done."
He was sentenced to death
on June 19, 2005 by the Supreme Court
.
His case, which appalled South Koreans, has fueled the debate on capital punishment
in South Korea. Although the death penalty is still permissible under law, it has not been carried out since 1997. It appeared capital punishment might be abolished prior to Yoo's arrest, but support for the death penalty has grown since then.
The Seoul
Central District Court said: "Murders of as many as 20 people are unprecedented in the nation and a very serious crime. The death penalty is inevitable for Yoo in light of the enormous pains inflicted on the families concerned and the entire society."
South Korea
The Republic of Korea , , is a sovereign state in East Asia, located on the southern portion of the Korean Peninsula. It is neighbored by the People's Republic of China to the west, Japan to the east, North Korea to the north, and the East China Sea and Republic of China to the south...
n serial killer
Serial killer
A serial killer, as typically defined, is an individual who has murdered three or more people over a period of more than a month, with down time between the murders, and whose motivation for killing is usually based on psychological gratification...
and self-confessed cannibal. Although he admitted to murder
Murder
Murder is the unlawful killing, with malice aforethought, of another human being, and generally this state of mind distinguishes murder from other forms of unlawful homicide...
ing 21 people, mostly prostitutes and wealthy old men, the Seoul
Seoul
Seoul , officially the Seoul Special City, is the capital and largest metropolis of South Korea. A megacity with a population of over 10 million, it is the largest city proper in the OECD developed world...
Central District Court convicted him of 20 murders (one case was dismissed on a technicality). Yoo burned three and mutilated at least 11 of his victims, admitting he ate the liver
Liver
The liver is a vital organ present in vertebrates and some other animals. It has a wide range of functions, including detoxification, protein synthesis, and production of biochemicals necessary for digestion...
s of some of them. He committed his crimes between September 2003 and July 2004, when he was arrested. Yoo explained his motives in front of a TV camera saying "Women shouldn't be sluts, and the rich should know what they've done."
He was sentenced to death
Death Sentence
Death Sentence is a short story by the American science-fiction writer Isaac Asimov. It was first published in the November 1943 issue of Astounding Science Fiction and reprinted in the 1972 collection The Early Asimov.-Plot summary:...
on June 19, 2005 by the Supreme Court
Supreme Court of South Korea
The Supreme Court of Korea is the highest court in South Korea. It is located in Seoul.Articles 101-110 of the Constitution of the Republic of Korea establish the Supreme Court and enumerates its powers and responsibilities.-Composition:...
.
His case, which appalled South Koreans, has fueled the debate on capital punishment
Capital punishment
Capital punishment, the death penalty, or execution is the sentence of death upon a person by the state as a punishment for an offence. Crimes that can result in a death penalty are known as capital crimes or capital offences. The term capital originates from the Latin capitalis, literally...
in South Korea. Although the death penalty is still permissible under law, it has not been carried out since 1997. It appeared capital punishment might be abolished prior to Yoo's arrest, but support for the death penalty has grown since then.
The Seoul
Seoul
Seoul , officially the Seoul Special City, is the capital and largest metropolis of South Korea. A megacity with a population of over 10 million, it is the largest city proper in the OECD developed world...
Central District Court said: "Murders of as many as 20 people are unprecedented in the nation and a very serious crime. The death penalty is inevitable for Yoo in light of the enormous pains inflicted on the families concerned and the entire society."
List of events and his early crimes
- 1988: TheftTheftIn common usage, theft is the illegal taking of another person's property without that person's permission or consent. The word is also used as an informal shorthand term for some crimes against property, such as burglary, embezzlement, larceny, looting, robbery, shoplifting and fraud...
- 1991: Theft (sentenced 10 months in jail)
- June 23, 1993: Married his girlfriend
- 1993: Theft (sentenced 8 months in jail)
- October 26, 1994: His son was born
- 1995: Selling illegal pornographyPornographyPornography or porn is the explicit portrayal of sexual subject matter for the purposes of sexual arousal and erotic satisfaction.Pornography may use any of a variety of media, ranging from books, magazines, postcards, photos, sculpture, drawing, painting, animation, sound recording, film, video,...
(sentenced 3 million KRW) - 1998: Theft, forgeryForgeryForgery is the process of making, adapting, or imitating objects, statistics, or documents with the intent to deceive. Copies, studio replicas, and reproductions are not considered forgeries, though they may later become forgeries through knowing and willful misrepresentations. Forging money or...
, identity theftIdentity theftIdentity theft is a form of stealing another person's identity in which someone pretends to be someone else by assuming that person's identity, typically in order to access resources or obtain credit and other benefits in that person's name...
(sentenced 2 years in jail) - 2000: Child sexual abuse (rape) (sentenced 3 years 6 months in jail)
- October 27, 2000: Divorced by his wife
- September 11, 2003: Released from jail
Killing spree
- 1st, September 24, 2003 (victims age 72, 67), Gangnam-guGangnam-guGangnam-gu is one of the 25 gu which make up the city of Seoul, South Korea. It is one of the most affluent areas of Seoul and is located in the southeast of the city...
, SeoulSeoulSeoul , officially the Seoul Special City, is the capital and largest metropolis of South Korea. A megacity with a population of over 10 million, it is the largest city proper in the OECD developed world...
: Stabbed the first victim's neck and hit the victim's head with his hammer (4kg), and killed the second victim (the first victim's wife) with his hammer. - 2nd, October 9, 2003 (victims age 85, 60, 35), Jongro-gu, Seoul: Killed three people with the hammer
- 3rd, October 16, 2003 (victim age 60), Gangnam-gu, Seoul: Hit the victim's head with the hammer. Later the victim was found by her son at 13:30 but died at 14:00.
- 4th, November 18, 2003 (victims age 53, 87, baby), Jongro-gu, Seoul: Killed the three people with the hammer, got hurt when he tried open a safe, and burned down the house to destroy evidence.
- On December 11, 2003, Yoo met a new girlfriend (escort girl) but later she found out Yoo's list of crimes and told Yoo not to see her again. He then decided to kill escort girls as a revenge.
- 5th, March 16, 2004 (victim age 23), Mapo-guMapo-guMapo-gu is a gu, or district, within Seoul, South Korea. It lies northwest of the Han River. Several universities and government buildings are located here. Mapo is especially well-known for the Hongdae club district around Hongik University. Seoul Metropolitan Subway Line 1, Line 5, and Line 6...
, Seoul: Killed an escort girl by choking, mutilated the body, trashed them on a trail near Sogang UniversitySogang UniversitySogang University is one of the leading research and liberal arts universities in Seoul, South Korea.The University was established in 1960 by the Society of Jesus to provide education based on the Catholic beliefs and inspired by the Jesuit educational philosophy, such as Georgetown University in...
. - 6th, April or May, 2004 (victim unknown), Mapo-gu, Seoul: Lured an escort girl to his apartment, beat the victim unconscious with a hammer, decapitated the victim in a bathroom, smashed the victim's head, mutilated the body, then disposed of the body in a construction site near Bongwon Temple in Seodaemun-gu.
- 7th, May, 2004 (victim age 25), Mapo-gu, Seoul: Same procedure as the 6th crime.
- 8th, June 1, 2004 (victim age 35), Mapo-gu, Seoul: Same procedure as the 6th crime.
- 9th, early June, 2004 (victim unknown), Mapo-gu, Seoul: Same procedure as the 6th crime.
- 10th, June 9, 2004 (victim age 26), Mapo-gu, Seoul: Same procedure as the 6th crime.
- 11th, June 18, 2004 (victim age 27), Mapo-gu, Seoul: Same procedure as the 6th crime.
- 12th, June 25, 2004 (victim age 28), Mapo-gu, Seoul: Same procedure as the 6th crime.
- 13th, July 2, 2004 (victim age 26), Mapo-gu, Seoul: Same procedure as the 6th crime.
- 14th, July 9, 2004 (victim age 24 from Aesongi escort), Mapo-gu, Seoul: Same procedure as the 6th crime.
- 15th, July 13, 2004 (victim age 27 from Aesongi escort), Mapo-gu, Seoul: Same procedure as the 6th crime.
- At 5am, July 15, 2004, Yoo was captured by police near Grand-mart in Mapo-gu, Seoul.
In film
- The ChaserThe Chaser (film)The Chaser is a 2008 South Korean thriller film starring Kim Yoon-seok and Ha Jeong-woo. It was directed by Na Hong-jin in his directional debut...
(2008), a feature film loosely based on Yoo's story.