What is documented
Between September 1986 and April 1991, ten women and girls were killed in the Hwaseong area of Gyeonggi Province. The investigation became one of the largest and longest-running criminal inquiries in South Korean history. [1]
Reanalysis of preserved evidence produced a DNA match to Lee Chun-jae in 2019. Police later said his statements and the evidence connected him to all ten Hwaseong killings and additional crimes, but the expired statute of limitations prevented prosecution for the series. [2]
Essential facts
- Who
- Ten women and girls were killed. Police identified Lee Chun-jae, who was already serving a life sentence for a separate murder.
- What
- A series of killings investigated from the 1980s until a police reinvestigation concluded in 2020.
- Where
- Hwaseong and nearby parts of Gyeonggi Province, South Korea.
- When
- From 15 September 1986 through 3 April 1991.
- How
- Police used renewed forensic testing, including DNA analysis of preserved evidence, to identify a suspect decades later.
Record history
Source reviewThe current summary, status, and citations were reviewed by the editorial desk.