{{short description|South Korean serial killer}} {{Family name hatnote|Kwon|lang=Korean}}{{Infobox Serial Killer | name = Kwon Jae-chan | victims = 3 | criminal_penalty = 15 year imprisonment (2003)<br>Death (2022) | conviction = *Murder (3 counts) *Sexual assault *Robbery (4 counts) *Abandonment of a corpse (2 counts) | beginyear = 1985 | endyear = 2021 | other_names = Incheon serial killer | birth_date = 2 April 1969 | birth_place = Incheon, South Korea | country = South Korea | native_name = 권재찬 | apprehended = 7 December 2021 | motive = Robbery | module = {{Infobox Korean/auto |child=yes |hangul=%권재찬 }} }} '''Kwon Jae-chan''' ({{Korean|hangul=권재찬}}; born 2 April 1969) is a South Korean serial killer who robbed and murdered three people between 2003 and 2021 in the Michuhol District of Incheon, South Korea. He was arrested shortly after his last two murders and sentenced to death.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2022-09-14 |title='사형' 살인범 권재찬 2심 시작…"계획 vs 우발" |url=http://m.yonhapnewstv.co.kr/news/MYH20220914017100641 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221005071938/http://m.yonhapnewstv.co.kr/news/MYH20220914017100641 |archive-date=2022-10-05 |access-date=2022-10-03 |website=연합뉴스TV |language=ko}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2022-06-23 |title=Court hands down rare death sentence for suspect in double murder case |url=https://en.yna.co.kr/view/AEN20220623007000315 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220629233313/https://en.yna.co.kr/view/AEN20220623007000315 |archive-date=2022-06-29 |access-date=2022-10-02 |website=Yonhap News Agency}}</ref>
== Early life == In 1969, Kwon Jae-chan, the second oldest of three children, was born in Incheon. In school, Kwon received low grades in every subject, and he was frequently bullied. When he reached secondary school, Kwon repeatedly ran away from home. In December 1985, Kwon was sentenced to juvenile detention for trespassing and theft. Shortly after he was released, Kwon dropped out of school and briefly worked as a hairdresser. On March 30, 1987, he was sentenced to eight months in prison and two years of probation for theft.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |last= |date=2022-06-25 |title='1심 사형 선고' 권재찬 어떻게 살았나… 유년시절부터 강도살해까지 보니 |url=https://www.fnnews.com/news/202206250602308173 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220624212719/https://www.fnnews.com/news/202206250602308173 |archive-date=2022-06-24 |access-date=2022-10-02 |website=The Financial News |language=ko-KR}}</ref>
In November 1991, Kwon entered an unlocked house in Michuhol-gu, Incheon. Once inside, he raped a woman and attempted to rob her. He was then sentenced to six years in prison for sexual assault, robbery, and attempted blackmail. After he was released from prison in October 1997, Kwon entered another unlocked home where he assaulted a woman and stole 2.6 million won from her. For this crime, he was sentenced to five years in prison.<ref name=":0" />
== Murders == In January 2003, Kwon bludgeoned a 69-year-old pawnshop owner to death in Michuhol-gu, Incheon. He then stole 320,000 won from the pawnshop, but was caught after attempting it into Japan.<ref>{{Cite web |last=박 |first=준철 |date=2021-12-09 |title=인천 연쇄살인범은 52살 권재찬…2003년에도 전당포 주인 살인 |url=https://www.khan.co.kr/article/202112091619001 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211209073723/https://www.khan.co.kr/article/202112091619001 |archive-date=2021-12-09 |access-date=2022-10-02 |website=Kyunghyang Shinmun |language=ko}}</ref> For the murder, he was sentenced to 15 years in prison. While imprisoned, he assaulted a fellow inmate. He was also diagnosed with Raynaud syndrome and several mental illnesses, including depression.<ref name=":0" />
After being released from prison in 2018, Kwon worked at a construction site, but he soon became involved with gambling and owed 90 million in debts.<ref name=":0" /><ref>{{Cite web |date=2022-10-03 |title=South Korean is sentenced to death! Stealing, robbing and murdering, this kind of scum with a long criminal record is not unfortunate to die |url=https://min.news/en/world/a4458e67ed317ea80975093554edcea7.html |access-date=2022-10-02 |website=Min News }}{{Dead link|date=July 2025 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> Because of this, Kwon planned to rob and murder another person to pay off his debt. At about 7 a.m. on December 4, 2021, Kwon assaulted a 59-year-old woman in the parking garage of a building in Michuhol-gu, Incheon. He then strangled the woman to death and hid her body in the trunk of a car. Kwon and an accomplice used the victim's credit card to withdraw 4.5 million won from an ATM. They also stole an additional 11 million won in jewelry. The following day, Kwon bludgeoned his accomplice – a middle-aged man – to death on a hill near Eulwangri Beach on Incheon's Yeongjong Island, and buried him nearby.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2022-06-23 |title=Court hands down rare death sentence for man found guilty in double murder case |url=https://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/nation/2022/10/251_331562.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221003012220/https://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/nation/2022/10/251_331562.html |archive-date=2022-10-03 |access-date=2022-10-03 |website=The Korea Times |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Hap |first=Yon |date=2021-12-14 |title=Double murder suspect says 'sorry' for fatal robbery crime |url=http://www.koreaherald.com/view.php?ud=20211214000493 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220104025218/http://www.koreaherald.com/view.php?ud=20211214000493 |archive-date=2022-01-04 |access-date=2022-10-02 |website=The Korea Herald}}</ref>
== Arrest == On December 7, 2021, Kwon Jae-chan was arrested and charged with two counts of murder, abandonment of a corpse, and robbery.{{Citation needed|date=September 2023}} On 22 June 2022, Kwon was sentenced to death.{{Citation needed|date=September 2023}}<ref>{{Cite web |title=Court hands down rare death sentence for man found guilty in double murder case |url=https://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/nation/2022/06/251_331562.html| date=23 June 2022 |website=The Korea Times}}</ref>
== See also == *Capital punishment in South Korea * Crime in South Korea * List of serial killers by country * List of serial killers active in the 2020s
== References == {{Reflist}}
Category:1969 births Category:Living people Category:South Korean serial killers Category:People convicted of murder by South Korea Category:Prisoners sentenced to death by South Korea Category:People convicted of theft Category:People convicted of sexual assault Category:People convicted of robbery Category:South Korean prisoners sentenced to death