{{Short description|South Korean serial killer (born 1963)}} {{family name hatnote|Lee|lang=Korean}} {{Use mdy dates|date=October 2019}} {{Infobox person | name = Lee Choon-jae | image = Leechoonjae.png | caption = Lee in his high school graduation photo in 1983 | birth_date = {{Birth-date and age|January 31, 1963}} | birth_place = Hwaseong, Gyeonggi Province, South Korea | spouse = {{Marriage|Unknown|1992}} | children = 1 | module = {{Infobox criminal|child=yes | conviction = Murder | conviction_penalty = Death (May 1994); commuted to life imprisonment | victims = 1 convicted murder, 15 confirmed <br/> 30+ confessed rapes and attempted rapes | locations = Hwaseong, South Korea | beginyear = February 8, 1986 | endyear = January 13, 1994 | apprehended = {{Start date and age|1994|1|18}} }} | module2 = {{Infobox Korean name/auto|child=yes | hangul = %이춘재 | hanja = 李春在 }} }} '''Lee Choon-jae''' ({{Korean|hangul=이춘재}}; born 31 January 1963), also known as the '''Hwaseong Murderer''', is a South Korean serial killer known for committing the Hwaseong serial murders ({{Korean|hangul=화성 연쇄 살인 사건}}). Between 1986 and 1994, Lee murdered fifteen women and girls in addition to committing numerous sexual assaults, predominantly in Hwaseong, Gyeonggi Province, and the surrounding areas. The murders, which remained unsolved for thirty years, are considered to be the most infamous in modern South Korean history and were the inspiration for the film ''Memories of Murder'' (2003).<ref name="roge_ASou2">{{Cite web |last=Cho |first=Seongyong |date=2012-05-23 |title=A South Korean "Zodiac" |url=https://www.rogerebert.com/far-flung-correspondents/a-south-korean-zodiac |access-date=2015-09-09 |work=RogerEbert.com}}</ref>
Lee was sentenced to life imprisonment with the possibility of parole after twenty years for killing his sister-in-law in 1994, but despite DNA evidence and his confession to the other murders in 2019, he could not be prosecuted for them because the statute of limitations had expired.
==Early life== Lee Choon-jae was born in Hwaseong, Gyeonggi Province, on 31 January 1963.<ref>{{Cite web |title=SBS |url=https://img.sbs.co.kr/newimg/news/20190929/201359052_1280.jpg}}</ref> According to his mother, he had a good education and worked well with others. Lee had a younger brother who drowned in his childhood, an incident which reportedly traumatized him.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.chosun.com/site/data/html_dir/2020/07/02/2020070201209.html|script-title=ko:30년만에 끝난 '살인의 추억'...이춘재 연쇄살인 14건 확인|trans-title='Memories of Murder' that ended after 30 years... Confirmed 14 serial murders by Lee Chun-jae|website=The Chosun Ilbo|language=Korean|date=2 July 2020|access-date=12 October 2021}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.chosun.com/site/data/html_dir/2020/07/02/2020070202304.html|script-title=ko:"죄책감 없는 사이코패스"...이춘재는 어떻게 악마가 됐나|trans-title="Psychopath without guilt"...How Lee Chun-jae became a devil|website=The Chosun Ilbo|language=Korean|date=2 July 2020|access-date=12 October 2021}}</ref>
After graduating from high school in February 1983, Lee joined the Republic of Korea Army and served as a tank driver until his discharge in January 1986. In 1990 he began working for a construction company as an unlicensed crane operator in the Cheongpa-dong neighbourhood of Seoul. The following year, Lee was employed as a crane operator for a company in Cheongwon, North Chungcheong Province, which he ultimately quit in March 1993. In April 1992, Lee married an administrator and had a son with her. However, Lee was a violent alcoholic who often physically abused his family.<ref name="auto">{{cite news|url=https://www.straitstimes.com/asia/east-asia/s-korean-serial-killer-identified-after-28-years|title=South Korean serial killer identified after 28 years|website=The Straits Times (Singapore)|date=29 September 2019|access-date=11 October 2021}}</ref>
On 26 September 1989, Lee broke into a house in Suwon and was discovered by the landlord.<ref name="Robbery">{{cite news|last1=Choi|first1=Sang-jin|date=September 26, 2019|script-title=ko:화성연쇄살인사건 이춘재, 처제 사건 당시 "강압수사로 허위진술" 주장|language=ko|work=The Seoul Economy Daily|url=https://www.sedaily.com/NewsVIew/1VOEA5BF8C|access-date=October 11, 2019}}</ref> He was sentenced by the Suwon District Court to one year and six months' imprisonment in the first trial in February 1990 for the charges of robbery and assault.<ref name="Robbery" /> After the first trial, Lee filed an appeal, claiming that he was beaten by an unknown young man and entered the victim's house while being chased.<ref name="Robbery" /> In the second trial, the court suspended Lee's sentence to two years' probation. He was released in April 1990.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Lee|first1=Ki-joo|date=September 19, 2019|script-title=ko:[단독] 이춘재 본적지 '화성군 태안읍' 확인…2·6번째 벌어진 곳|language=ko|work=MBC News|url=http://imnews.imbc.com/replay/2019/nwdesk/article/5504135_24634.html|access-date=October 11, 2019}}</ref>
== Hwaseong serial murders == For a period of four years and seven months, between 15 September 1986 and 3 April 1991, Lee committed a series of rapes and murders in and around Hwaseong.<ref name="engl_dong2">{{Cite web |author=Kyung-Hyun Nam |date=April 1, 2006 |title=Hwaseong Killings Still Baffle Police |url=http://english.donga.com/srv/service.php3?biid=2006040104698 |access-date=September 9, 2015 |work=english.donga.com}}</ref> The victims, all women, were found bound, gagged, raped and in most cases strangled to death with their own clothes, such as pantyhose or socks.<ref name=":12">{{Cite news |last=Nam |first=Kyung-Hyun |date=April 1, 2006 |title=Hwaseong Killings Still Baffle Police |work=The Dong-A Ilbo |url=https://www.donga.com/en/article/all/20060401/246760/1/Hwaseong-Killings-Still-Baffle-Police |access-date=October 10, 2020}}</ref> The murders sparked the largest criminal case in South Korean history, with over 2{{nbsp}}million man-days spent on investigation and over 21,000 suspects investigated.<ref name="engl_dong2" /><ref>{{cite web |date=September 8, 2003 |script-title=ko:"화성사건은 아직 끝나지 않았다" 당시 담당형사 책펴내 |url=http://www.donga.com/news/View?gid=7981048&date=20030908 |access-date=October 21, 2019 |publisher=The Dong-A Ilbo}}</ref> The murders remained unsolved for thirty years until Lee was identified as a suspect in 2019. He confessed to four undisclosed murders not originally included in the original list of crimes and all ten serial murders, including a case previously determined to be a copycat crime (for which a man named Yoon Sung-yeo had previously been sentenced to life imprisonment).
=== Background === On 13 September 1986, Lee Wan-im (71) disappeared while returning home after visiting her daughter.<ref name=":02">{{Cite web |last= |first= |date= |script-title=ko:화성연쇄살인사건 |url=https://terms.naver.com/entry.nhn?docId=74246&cid=43667&categoryId=43667 |access-date=October 9, 2019 |website=Naver Knowledge Encyclopedia |publisher=pmg Knowledge Engine Institute |language=ko}}</ref> Her body was found in a pasture on 19 September, four days following her murder.<ref name=":02" /> A month later, on 20 October, Park Hyun-sook (25) disappeared after getting off the bus while returning home from Songtan.<ref name=":02" /> Her body was found on 23 October in a canal.<ref name=":02" /> Two months later on 12 December, Kwon Jung-bon (25) disappeared in front of her house.<ref name=":02" /> Her body was found four months later on 23 April 1987 on an embankment.<ref name=":02" /> Seven more murders followed over the following years. The last murder was estimated to have taken place around 21:00 on 3 April 1991. Kwon Soon-sang (69) was discovered raped and strangled with pantyhose on a hill.<ref name=":12" />
=== Sister-in-law's murder and arrest === After his wife left him in December 1993, Lee invited his eighteen-year-old sister-in-law to his residence, then proceeded to drug, rape and kill her on 13 January 1994.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Kwon |first1=Sok-chun |date=January 17, 1995 |script-title=ko:처제 성폭행뒤 殺害 30代 死刑원심 파기 |url=https://newslibrary.naver.com/viewer/index.nhn?articleId=1995011700329123008&editNo=20&printCount=1&publishDate=1995-01-17&officeId=00032&pageNo=23&printNo=15314&publishType=00010 |access-date=October 4, 2019 |work=Kyunghyang Shinmun |publisher=Naver News Library |language=ko}}</ref> According to the original investigator, Lee went to his father-in-law offering help in the search for the girl, and both reported that she might have been abducted.<ref name="Robbery" /> Lee was arrested on 18 January<ref>{{cite news |last=Shin |first=Dong-bin |date=September 19, 2019 |script-title=ko:[단독] 이춘재, 조카 보러 온 처제 습관 노려 범행 |url=http://www.jbnews.com/news/articleView.html?idxno=1261238 |access-date=October 4, 2019 |work=JB News |language=ko}}</ref> after repeated questioning where he later asked, "How many years do you serve in prison for rape and murder?"<ref name="Robbery" /> Lee denied any responsibility and the court overturned his confession, stating that he made a false statement because of police coercion.<ref name="Robbery" /> However, Lee was convicted and sentenced to death in May 1994, a conviction that was upheld in September of the same year. The Supreme Court of Korea reviewed the case in 1995, and Lee's death sentence was reduced to life imprisonment,<ref>{{cite news |last=Kim |first=Jin-joo |date=September 19, 2019 |script-title=ko:이춘재 사건 담당판사 "사형 내릴 수 밖에 없다 생각, 판결문 자세히 썼다" |url=https://www.hankookilbo.com/News/Read/201909191742738301 |access-date=October 4, 2019 |work=Hankook Ilbo |language=ko}}</ref> with the possibility of parole after twenty years.<ref name="confession" />
=== Investigation === The Hwaseong serial murders were the first identifiable string of murders in South Korea with a similar ''modus operandi''. Investigators spent 2{{nbsp}}million man-days on the case.<ref>{{cite web |date=September 8, 2003 |script-title=ko:"화성사건은 아직 끝나지 않았다" 당시 담당형사 책펴내 |url=http://news.donga.com/View?gid=7981048&date=20030908 |access-date=March 24, 2016 |publisher=The Dong-A Ilbo |language=Korean |quote=연인원 200만명의 경찰이 투입됐고...}}</ref> The total number of suspects also grew, eventually reaching a total count of 21,280 individuals.<ref name="hani">{{cite web |date=2006-04-01 |script-title=ko:화성연쇄살인사건 '살인의 추억' 으로 묻히나 |url=http://www.hani.co.kr/arti/society/society_general/112522.html |access-date=March 24, 2016 |publisher=The Hankyoreh |language=Korean}}</ref> In addition, 40,116 individuals had their fingerprints taken, and 570 DNA samples and 180 hair samples were analyzed.<ref name=":12" />
The first five murders happened within a 6 km (3.7 mile) radius of Hwaseong, prompting police to spread out in teams of two, positioned every 100 meters (328 feet), but the next killing happened where there was no police presence.<ref name=":2">{{Cite web |author=Julia Hollingsworth, Yoonjung Seo and Jake Kwon |title=For years, this South Korean serial killing case went unsolved. A police breakthrough only exposed more injustices |url=https://www.cnn.com/2020/05/23/asia/south-korea-hwaseong-murder-injustices-intl-hnk/index.html |access-date=2020-10-10 |website=CNN}}</ref> During the investigation, rumors that the killer targeted women wearing red clothes on rainy days spread,<ref>{{Cite web |date=2019-09-19 |title=Suspect identified in South Korea's infamous cold case 'Hwaseong murders' |url=https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3028007/police-identify-suspect-south-koreas-infamous-cold-case |access-date=2020-10-10 |website=South China Morning Post |language=en}}</ref> leading some female police officers to wear red clothes in an attempt to lure the killer into a trap.<ref name=":2" />
A suspect sketch was drawn based on the memory of a bus driver (surname Kang) and bus conductor (surname Uhm) who witnessed a man boarding their bus shortly after the seventh murder on 7 September 1988.<ref name="sketch3">{{cite news |last1=Hong |first1=Hyun-chul |date=May 8, 2011 |script-title=ko:화성 연쇄 살인사건…숨은 이야기 "살인자 모습 기억에 남아" |language=ko |work=Today Korea |url=http://www.todaykorea.co.kr/news/view.php?no=142887&old=tt |access-date=September 19, 2019}}</ref> The characteristics of the suspect, which were described by the bus driver, were similar to the descriptions given by survivors who had been sexually assaulted.<ref name="sketch3" /> According to survivors, the perpetrator was a thin-framed man in his mid-twenties, with a height of 165 to 170 centimeters, short cut sporty-type hair, no double eyelids and a sharp nose.<ref>{{cite news |date=May 8, 2011 |script-title=ko:화성연쇄살인사건 범인 몽타주 공개…목격자 등장 |language=ko |work=Maeil Broadcasting Network |url=http://mbn.mk.co.kr/pages/news/newsPrintView.php?news_seq_no=1058262 |access-date=September 19, 2019}}</ref> In addition, he was described as having soft hands.<ref name="sketch3" /> Police also stated that the suspect was blood type B,<ref>{{cite news |date=September 19, 2019 |script-title=ko:화성사건 용의자, 처제 살인 전까지 화성에 살았다 |language=ko |work=Yonhap News Agency |url=https://www.yna.co.kr/view/AKR20190919172800061?input=1195m |access-date=September 19, 2019}}</ref> but in 2019 police acknowledged that this was likely inaccurate, because Lee had blood type O.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Moon |first1=Dong-sung |last2=Jo |first2=Min-ah |date=September 19, 2019 |script-title=ko:화성 사건 용의자의 혈액형 논란, "B형은 과거의 추정에 불과" |language=ko |work=Kukmin Ilbo |url=http://news.kmib.co.kr/article/view.asp?arcid=0013730971&code=61121211&cp=nv |access-date=September 19, 2019}}</ref> A survivor of the murders, Lee Geum-ran (36), was attacked by Lee in late 1986 and she described him as skinny, with a low voice.<ref name="auto" />
On July 27, 1989, Yoon Sung-yeo (22) was arrested for the murder of the eighth victim, fourteen-year-old Park Sang-hee.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Lee |first1=Chang-kyu |date=October 4, 2019 |script-title=ko:[리부트] 화성연쇄살인사건 용의자 이춘재, '모방범죄' 8차 사건도 본인 소행 주장…수사 혼선 목적? |language=ko |work=Top Star News |url=http://www.topstarnews.net/news/articleView.html?idxno=677946 |access-date=October 9, 2019}}</ref> Yoon admitted guilt during questioning,<ref name="Yoon Sung-yeo22">{{cite news |last1=Kim |first1=Arin |date=October 10, 2019 |title=Police say innocent man may have been jailed for 1980s Hwaseong murder |work=The Korea Herald |url=http://www.koreaherald.com/view.php?ud=20191010000705 |access-date=October 10, 2019}}</ref> and according to a 1989 report written by an expert at the National Forensic Service, tests of pubic hair samples found at the scene returned a 40% match with Yoon's.<ref name=":2" /> This case was determined to be a copycat crime,<ref>{{cite news |last1=Kim |first1=Hyun-bin |date=October 8, 2019 |title=Hwaseong murder case may have accused wrong person |work=The Korea Times |url=https://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/nation/2019/10/251_276811.html |access-date=October 9, 2019}}</ref> and Yoon was sentenced to life imprisonment.<ref name="Yoon Sung-yeo22" /> Reports state that at least four individuals, deemed as possible suspects, took their own lives in the 1990s after being investigated and allegedly abused by police.<ref name=":32">{{Cite web |title=South Korea police apologize over botched serial killer case |url=https://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2020/07/02/south-korea-police-apologize-over-botched-serial-killer-case.html |access-date=2020-10-10 |website=The Jakarta Post |language=en}}</ref>
=== Public reaction === The release of the film ''Memories of Murder'' (2003), which was partially inspired by the Hwaseong serial murders, sparked renewed interest in the case.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Nam |first=Kyung-Hyun |date=2006-04-01 |title=Hwaseong Killings Still Baffle Police |url=http://www.donga.com/en/article/all/20060401/246760/1/Hwaseong-Killings-Still-Baffle-Police |access-date=2019-11-08 |website=The Dong-A Ilbo}}</ref> The murder of a female college student in Hwaseong the following year also sparked fears that the killer had returned.<ref name="engl_TheC2">{{Cite news |date=September 1, 2007 |title=Hwaseong Fears Return of Serial Killer |newspaper=The Chosun Ilbo |url=http://english.chosun.com/site/data/html_dir/2007/01/09/2007010961018.html |access-date=September 9, 2015}}</ref> The murders made headlines again as the statute of limitations for the most recent victims was due to expire on 2 April 2006.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Time Running out to Find Hwaseong Ripper |url=http://english.chosun.com/site/data/html_dir/2005/11/14/2005111461026.html |access-date=2019-11-08 |website=The Chosun Ilbo}}</ref>
At the time of the killings, there was a fifteen-year statute of limitations for first-degree murder. This was increased to twenty-five years in 2007, and finally lifted in 2015, but it was not retroactive.<ref name="ID12">{{cite web |date=September 18, 2019 |title=South Korean serial killer who inspired 'Memories of Murder' identified after 30 years |url=https://bnonews.com/index.php/2019/09/serial-killer-who-terrorized-south-korea-identified-after-30-years/ |access-date=September 19, 2019 |publisher=BNO News}}</ref> However, evidence and police records were kept due to the significance of the case.<ref>{{Cite web |title=After 3 decades, police believe they found infamous serial killer in South Korea |url=https://www.cbsnews.com/news/serial-killer-found-south-korea-police-believe-they-identified-suspect-today-2019-09-19/ |access-date=2019-11-08 |website=CBS News}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2019-10-15 |title=Suspect in decades-old Hwaseong serial murders in South Korea booked, case to be sent to prosecutors |url=https://www.straitstimes.com/asia/east-asia/suspect-in-decades-old-serial-murders-in-south-korea-booked-case-to-be-sent-to |access-date=2019-11-08 |website=The Straits Times}}</ref>
===Identification and confession=== On September 18, 2019, police announced that Lee had been identified as a suspect in the Hwaseong serial murders.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Park |first1=Seon-young |date=September 19, 2019 |script-title=ko:[단독]"경찰, 공소시효 끝나는 15년간 DNA 분석 시도 안 했다" |language=ko |work=Channel A |url=http://www.ichannela.com/news/main/news_detailPage.do?publishId=000000167053 |access-date=September 19, 2019}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2019-09-18 |title=Police find suspect in 30-year-old Hwaseong serial murder case |url=http://www.koreaherald.com/view.php?ud=20190918000889 |access-date=2019-11-08 |website=The Korea Herald}}</ref><ref name="ID12" /> He was identified after DNA from the underwear of one of the victims was matched with his, and subsequent DNA testing linked him to four of the other unsolved murders.<ref name="confession">{{cite web |date=October 2, 2019 |title=Hwaseong serial murderer may have confessed as chances of parole dimmed |url=https://en.yna.co.kr/view/AEN20191002004700315 |access-date=October 2, 2019 |publisher=Yonhap News Agency}}</ref> At the time he was identified, Lee was already serving a life sentence at a prison in Busan for the rape and murder of his sister-in-law.<ref>{{cite news |date=September 18, 2019 |title=Police find suspect in 30-year-old Hwaseong serial murder case |work=The Korea Herald |url=http://www.koreaherald.com/view.php?ud=20190918000889 |access-date=September 19, 2019}}</ref> He initially denied any involvement in the serial murders,<ref>{{cite web |date=September 19, 2019 |title=Suspect denies involvement in S. Korea's worst serial murder case |url=https://en.yna.co.kr/view/AEN20190919008400315?section=national/national |access-date=September 19, 2019 |publisher=Yonhap News Agency}}</ref> but on 2 October police announced that he had confessed to killing fourteen people, including all ten victims in the original investigation, which includes the case previously considered to be a copycat crime, and four others. Two of those other murders happened in Hwaseong but had not previously been attributed to Lee, and two happened in Cheongju. As of October 2019, details about those four victims have not been released.<ref>{{cite news |date=October 2, 2019 |script-title=ko:이춘재 "이런 날 올 줄 알았다"…살인 14건 포함 총 40여건 자백(종합2보) |language=ko |work=Yonhap News Agency |url=https://www.yna.co.kr/view/AKR20191002050253061?section=society/accident&site=major_news01 |access-date=October 8, 2019}}</ref> In addition to the murders, Lee also confessed to more than thirty rapes and attempted rapes.<ref>{{cite news |date=October 1, 2019 |title=Suspect in Hwaseong serial murder case confesses to killings: police |work=Yonhap News Agency |url=https://en.yna.co.kr/view/AEN20191001009800320?section=national/national |access-date=October 8, 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Kwon |first1=Jake |last2=Hollingsworth |first2=Julia |date=October 4, 2019 |title=South Korean man confesses to a series of murders that stumped police for decades |work=CNN |url=https://edition.cnn.com/2019/10/04/asia/south-korean-serial-murder-confessed-intl-hnk-scli/index.html |access-date=October 8, 2019}}</ref><ref name="8th murder">{{cite news |date=October 4, 2019 |script-title=ko:화성 연쇄살인 "8차 사건 내가 했다" |language=ko |work=Yonhap News Agency |url=https://www.yna.co.kr/view/GYH20191004001000044 |access-date=October 8, 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Shim |first1=Kyu-seok |date=October 8, 2019 |title=Killer's confession is key to Cheongju murders |work=Korea JoongAng Daily |url=http://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/news/article/Article.aspx?aid=3068781 |access-date=October 9, 2019}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=December 17, 2019 |title=Police book past investigators on serial murder case |url=https://en.yna.co.kr/view/AEN20191217003400315 |website=Yonhap News Agency}}</ref>
On 15 November 2019, police announced that they had reached a provisional conclusion that Lee was responsible for all ten serial murders.<ref name="Copycat">{{cite web |date=November 15, 2019 |title=Police: Lee Chun-jae is behind all Hwaseong murders |url=https://en.yna.co.kr/view/AEN20191115004100315 |access-date=November 15, 2019 |publisher=Yonhap News Agency}}</ref> Police expressed that Lee had weak self-esteem due to his introverted personality but experienced a sense of accomplishment and self-reliance for the first time during his military service, which led him to commit sex crimes to express his frustration caused by his monotonous life following his discharge.<ref name=":52">{{Cite web |script-title=ko:30년만에 끝난 '살인의 추억'...이춘재 연쇄살인 14건 확인 |url=https://www.chosun.com/site/data/html_dir/2020/07/02/2020070201209.html |access-date=2020-10-10 |website=The Chosun Ilbo |language=ko}}</ref> The provincial police chief stated that Lee displayed psychopathic tendencies by being unable to empathize with the victims' suffering and continuously showing off his crimes.<ref name=":32" />
On 2 July 2020, police confirmed that Lee committed fourteen murders and nine rapes in relation to the Hwaseong serial murders with the motive of relieving his sexual desire,<ref name=":52" /> closing the case thirty-three years after the first killing. On 2 November 2020, Lee appeared in court as a witness for the eighth murder re-trial, where he publicly confessed to committing fourteen murders in relation to the Hwaseong serial murders and thirty sex crimes, which led to Yoon being acquitted. Lee remained in prison serving his life sentence.<ref name=":4">{{Cite web |last=권 |first=준우 |date=2020-11-02 |script-title=ko:22살적 '살인의 추억' 증언한 56살 이춘재 "왜 그랬나 모르겠다" |url=https://www.yna.co.kr/view/AKR20201102107400061 |access-date=2020-11-02 |website=Yonhap News Agency |language=ko}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |author1=Yoonjung Seo |author2=Julia Hollingsworth |title=Man confesses in court to being one of South Korea's most notorious serial killers |work=CNN |url=https://www.cnn.com/2020/11/02/asia/hwaseong-serial-killer-guilt-intl-hnk/index.html}}</ref> Lee also expressed that he had no intention of seeking parole and release, as he did not want to face the public condemnation for his crime like notorious child rapist Cho Doo-soon, whose release after serving his twelve-year jail term led to widespread public outrage.<ref>{{cite news |date=18 December 2020 |title=韩国华城连环杀人案背后：一人蒙冤入狱20年 |language=Chinese |work=New York Times |url=https://cn.nytimes.com/asia-pacific/20201218/korea-murder-acquittal-hwaseong/ |access-date=12 October 2021}}</ref>
=== Wrongful conviction of Yoon Sung-yeo === After being sentenced to life imprisonment, Yoon Sung-yeo appealed his conviction on the grounds that police coerced him into giving false confessions through torture.<ref name="Yoon Sung-yeo22" /> His appeal was denied and he served over nineteen years in prison before being released on parole in 2009.<ref name="Yoon Sung-yeo22" />
Yoon filed for a re-trial of his case on 13 November 2019, following news reports that Lee had confessed to all ten of the Hwaseong serial murders.<ref name="Copycat22">{{cite web |date=15 November 2019 |title=Police: Lee Chun-jae is behind all Hwaseong murders |url=https://en.yna.co.kr/view/AEN20191115004100315 |access-date=15 November 2019 |publisher=Yonhap News Agency}}</ref> Two days later, police announced that they had reached a provisional conclusion that Lee was responsible for the murder for which Yoon was convicted. Police said Lee's confession in the eighth murder "elaborately and coherently" described both the scene and the victim. This raised concerns Yoon had been the victim of a miscarriage of justice,<ref name="Copycat3">{{cite web |date=15 November 2019 |title=Police: Lee Chun-jae is behind all Hwaseong murders |url=https://en.yna.co.kr/view/AEN20191115004100315 |access-date=November 15, 2019 |publisher=Yonhap News Agency}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |author=Julia Hollingsworth and Yoonjung Seo |title=South Korean police catch culprit in decades-old serial murder case |url=https://www.cnn.com/2020/07/03/asia/south-korea-hwaseong-apology-intl-hnk/index.html |website=CNN}}</ref> with the district prosecutors' office confirming that Yoon endured cruel treatment by police at the time of his arrest and that the National Forensic Service report had been fraudulently written.<ref name=":42">{{Cite web |date=2019-12-23 |title=Forensic report falsified in Hwasong murder case: prosecution |url=http://www.koreaherald.com/view.php?ud=20191223000747 |access-date=2020-10-10 |website=The Korea Herald |language=en}}</ref> In December 2019, the Gyeonggi South Provincial Police Agency booked and charged eight of the original investigators with abuse of power and illegal detention for allegedly physically abusing Yoon when he was a suspect, forcing him to make a false confession and falsifying investigative documents.<ref name=":32" /><ref name=":42" /><ref>{{cite web |title=South Korean man cleared of killing teenager after spending 20 years in jail for her murder |url=https://edition.cnn.com/2020/12/17/asia/hwaseong-south-korea-not-guilty-intl-hnk/index.html |publisher=CNN}}</ref>
The court accepted Yoon's plea for a re-trial in January 2020. The final court hearing was held on 2 November 2020, where Lee stood as a witness confessing to the murder and describing the crime scene.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2020-09-08 |script-title=ko:'연쇄살인 8차 사건' 증인 채택…30년만에 법정 서는 이춘재 |url=http://www.hani.co.kr/arti/area/capital/961204.html |access-date=2020-10-10 |website=The Hankyoreh |language=ko}}</ref><ref name=":4" /> Yoon was acquitted of murder on 17 December, after the re-trial court accepted that he was innocent and found Lee guilty despite the expiration of the statute of limitations.<ref>{{cite news |date=3 October 2021 |title=An innocent man was jailed for murder. It took 30 years to find the real serial killer |website=CNA |url=https://www.channelnewsasia.com/cna-insider/innocent-man-was-jailed-murder-it-took-30-years-find-real-serial-killer-2213761 |access-date=11 October 2021}}</ref>
==List of known victims== ''The first 10 murders were part of the Hwaseong serial murders.'' {| class="wikitable" !Crime !Date and time of crime (estimated)<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|url=https://terms.naver.com/entry.nhn?docId=74246&cid=43667&categoryId=43667|script-title=ko:화성연쇄살인사건|last=|first=|date=|website=Naver Knowledge Encyclopedia|publisher=pmg Knowledge Engine Institute|access-date=October 9, 2019|language=ko}}</ref> !Date and time of discovery<ref name=":0" /> !Victim and age !Location<ref name=":0" /> !Remarks |- !1 |September 15, 1986<br>06:20 |September 19, 1986<br>14:00 | Lee Wan-im, 71 | Taean-eup (now called Hwaseong), Annyeong-ri (now called Annyeong-dong), pasture | Elder murdered while returning home after visiting her daughter.<ref name=":0" /><br>'''Evidence found:''' Strangled by hand, negative semen reaction<ref name=":0" /> |- !2 |October 20, 1986<br>22:00 |October 23, 1986<br>14:50 |Park Hyun-sook, 25 | Taean-eup (now called Hwaseong), Jinan-ri (now called Jinan-dong), canal | Murdered after getting off the bus while returning home from Songtan after meeting with a prospective marriage partner.<ref name=":0" /><br>'''Evidence found:''' Strangled by hand, semen (blood type cannot be determined)<ref name=":0" /> |- !3 |December 12, 1986<br>23:00 |April 23, 1987<br>14:00 |Kwon Jung-bon, 25 | Taean-eup (now called Hwaseong), Annyeong-ri (now called Annyeong-dong), embankment | Housewife murdered in front of her house.<ref name=":0" /><br>'''Evidence found:''' Strangled by stockings, gagged with her stockings, panties on the face, semen (blood type cannot be determined)<ref name=":0" /> |- !4 |December 14, 1986<br>23:00 |December 21, 1986<br>12:30 |Lee Kye-sook, 23 | Jeongnam-myeon, Gwanhang-ri, ridge between rice fields | Murdered after getting off the bus while returning home after meeting with a prospective marriage partner.<ref name=":0" /><br>'''Evidence found:''' Hands tied, strangled and violated by an umbrella, girdle covering her face, semen (blood type cannot be determined)<ref name=":0" /> |- !5 |January 10, 1987<br>20:50 |January 11, 1987<br>13:00 | Hong Jin-young, 19 | Taean-eup (now called Hwaseong), Hwanggye-ri (now called Hwanggye-dong), rice paddy | High school girl murdered after getting off the bus while returning home.<ref name=":0" /><br>'''Evidence found:''' Hands tied, gagged with her socks, strangled, semen (blood type cannot be determined)<ref name=":0" /> |- !6 |May 2, 1987<br>23:00 |May 9, 1987<br>15:00 |Park Eun-joo, 29 | Taean-eup (now called Hwaseong), Jinan-ri (now called Jinan-dong), hill | Housewife murdered while going to give her husband an umbrella.<ref name=":0" /><br>'''Evidence found:''' strangled, semen (blood type cannot be determined)<ref name=":0" /> |- !7 |September 7, 1987<br>21:30 |September 8, 1987<br>09:30 | Ahn Gi-soon, 54 | Paltan-myeon, Gajae-ri, canal | Housewife murdered after getting off the bus while returning home.<ref name=":0" /><br>'''Evidence found:''' Hands tied, gagged with her socks and handkerchief, strangled, peach slices, semen (blood type cannot be determined)<ref name=":0" /> |- !8 |September 16, 1988<br>02:00 |September 16, 1988<br>06:50 | Park Sang-hee, 14 | Taean-eup (now called Hwaseong), Jinan-ri (now called Jinan-dong), house | Middle school girl murdered while sleeping in her room.<ref name=":0" /> Initially determined to be a copycat crime perpetrated by 22-year-old Yoon Sung-yeo,<ref>{{cite news |last=Jeon |first=Woo-yong |script-title=ko:이춘재, 화성 8차사건 범행 인정 '범인 윤성여는 무기징역 복역중' |url=http://www.anewsa.com/detail.php?number=1993216&thread=09r02 |access-date=October 9, 2019 |work=Asia News Agency |date=October 4, 2019 |language=ko}}</ref> who served 19.5 years in jail before being released on parole in 2009.<ref name=":0" /> However, after Lee's confession in 2019, police reached a provisional conclusion that Lee was indeed the killer.<ref name="8th murder" /><ref name="Yoon Sung-yeo22" /> Yoon filed for a re-trial on 13 November 2019.<ref name="Copycat" /> |- !9 |November 15, 1990<br>18:30 {{small|(weather: foggy)}} |November 16, 1990<br>09:50 | Kim Mi-jung, 14 | Taean-eup (now called Hwaseong), Byeongjeom-dong (now called Byeongjeom-dong), hill | Middle school girl murdered while returning home.<ref name=":0" /><br>'''Evidence found:''' Hands and feet tied, strangled, gagged with her bra, ballpoint pen, fork, spoon and razor blade, semen (blood-type determined to be "B")<ref name=":0" /> |- !10 |April 3, 1991<br>21:00 {{small|(weather: clear)}} |April 4, 1991<br>09:30 |Kwon Soon-sang, 69 | Dongtan-myeon, Bansong-ri (now called Bansong-dong), hill | Elder murdered after getting off the bus while returning home.<ref name=":0" /><br>'''Evidence found:''' Strangled, two footprint marks (couldn't be analyzed), semen (blood-type determined to be "B")<ref name=":0" /> |- !11 |December 24, 1987 |January 4, 1988 |Kim Mi-soon, 18 |Hwaseong | |- !12 |July 7, 1989 |N/A |Kim Hyun-jung, 8 |Hwaseong | |- !13 |January 26, 1991 |January 27, 1991 |Park Mi-hwa, 17 |Hwaseong | |- !14 |March 7, 1991 |March 7, 1991 |Kim Hong-bun, 27 |Cheongju, North Chungcheong Province | |- !15 |January 13, 1994 |January 15, 1994 |''Lee's sister-in-law'', 18 | Bokdae-dong, Cheongju, North Chungcheong Province |Lee was sentenced to death for rape and murder. Reduced to life imprisonment by the Supreme Court. |}
== In popular culture == Several films and television shows were based on the Hwaseong serial murders:<ref name="roge_ASou">{{Cite web |last=Cho |first=Seongyong |date=May 23, 2012 |title=A South Korean "Zodiac" |url=https://www.rogerebert.com/far-flung-correspondents/a-south-korean-zodiac |access-date=September 9, 2015 |work=RogerEbert.com}}</ref> * ''Memories of Murder'' (2003) * ''Confession of Murder'' (2012) * ''Gap-dong'' (2014) * ''Signal'' (2016) * ''Tunnel'' (2017) * ''Criminal Minds (2017)'' * ''Partners for Justice'' (2018) * ''Signal'' (2018) * ''Unknown Number'' (2019) * ''Flower of Evil'' (2020) * ''Taxi Driver'' (2021) * ''The Scarecrow'' (2026)
==See also== * List of serial killers by country * List of serial killers by number of victims
==References== {{Reflist}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lee, Choon-jae}} Category:1963 births Category:1986 murders in South Korea Category:1987 murders in South Korea Category:1988 murders in South Korea Category:1989 crimes in South Korea Category:1990 murders in South Korea Category:1991 murders in South Korea Category:1994 murders in South Korea Category:Living people Category:People from Hwaseong, Gyeonggi Category:Prisoners sentenced to death by South Korea Category:Prisoners sentenced to life imprisonment by South Korea Category:South Korean murderers of children Category:South Korean people convicted of murder Category:South Korean prisoners sentenced to life imprisonment Category:South Korean prisoners sentenced to death Category:South Korean rapists Category:South Korean serial killers Category:Violence against women in South Korea