Kim Dae-doo (, November 17, 1949 – December 28, 1976) was a South Korean

serial killer A serial killer (also called a serial murderer) is a person who murders three or more people,An offender can be anyone: * * * * * (This source only requires two people) with the killings taking place over a significant period of time in separat ...

who killed 17 people during a 55-day

killing spree A spree killer is someone who commits a criminal act that involves two or more murders in a short time, often in multiple locations. There are different opinions about what durations of time a killing spree may take place in. The United States ...

from August to October 1975. Kim was considered as one of the worst and most prolific criminals in South Korea's history, and he was

executed Capital punishment, also known as the death penalty and formerly called judicial homicide, is the state-sanctioned killing of a person as punishment for actual or supposed misconduct. The sentence (law), sentence ordering that an offender b ...

for his crimes in 1976.

Early life

Kim Dae-doo was born on November 17, 1949, in rural

Yeongam County Yeongam () is a city and county in South Jeolla Province, South Korea. Bordered with Mokpo and Naju to the north, Jangheung County to the east, and Haenam and Gangjin to the south, Yeongam County comprises two '' eups'' and nine '' myeons'', po ...

South Jeolla South Jeolla Province (), formerly South Chŏlla Province, also known as Jeonnam (), is a province in the Honam region, South Korea, and the southernmost province in mainland Korea. South Jeolla borders the provinces of North Jeolla to the nor ...

, the eldest of three sons and four daughters from a poor family. Kim's parents had high aspirations for him, wanting to send him to a top-class

middle school Middle school, also known as intermediate school, junior high school, junior secondary school, or lower secondary school, is an educational stage between primary school and secondary school. Afghanistan In Afghanistan, middle school includes g ...

in a big city and eventually study abroad. However, he failed his exams and had no special skills that would allow him to get a high-paying job. As a result, Kim developed an

inferiority complex In psychology, an inferiority complex is a consistent feeling of inadequacy, often resulting in the belief that one is in some way deficient, or inferior, to others. According to Alfred Adler, a feeling of inferiority may be brought about by ...

and turned towards

petty crime A summary offence or petty offence is a violation in some common law jurisdictions that can be proceeded against summarily, without the right to a jury trial and/or indictment (required for an indictable offence). Canada In Canada, summary offe ...

, for which he was eventually imprisoned for

assault In the terminology of law, an assault is the act of causing physical harm or consent, unwanted physical contact to another person, or, in some legal definitions, the threat or attempt to do so. It is both a crime and a tort and, therefore, may ...

and

evidence tampering Tampering with evidence, or evidence tampering, is an act in which a person alters, conceals, falsifies, or destroys evidence (law), evidence with the intent to interfere with an investigation (usually) by a law-enforcement, governmental, or regula ...

. After his release, Kim attempted to make an honest living as a factory worker, but his reputation as an ex-convict followed him everywhere, making him resentful towards a society he felt had wronged him.

Murders

On August 13, 1975, Kim broke into the home of an elderly couple living in

Gwangju Gwangju (; ), formerly romanized as Kwangju, is South Korea's list of cities in South Korea, sixth-largest metropolis. It is a designated Special cities of South Korea, metropolitan city under the direct control of the central government's Home ...

while trying to burglarize it. In the process, he killed the man and seriously injured the woman, before escaping into the night. While riding on a train towards

Suncheon Suncheon (; ) is the largest city in South Jeolla Province, South Korea, with a population of 280,719 as of 2022. It is located in the southeast of the province and is a scenic agricultural and industrial city, known for tourist attractions, suc ...

, Kim met a fellow ex-convict, 27-year-old Kim Hoe-woon, whom agreed to help him in his next attack. Six days later, the pair entered a shop in Mongtan,

Muan County Muan County () is a county in South Jeolla Province, South Korea. In 2005, Muan County became the capital of South Jeolla following the transfer of the provincial office from its previous location in Gwangju to the village of Namak in Muan. M ...

, killing the elderly couple running it and their 7-year-old grandson. After the murders, they boarded a train headed to

Seoul Seoul, officially Seoul Special Metropolitan City, is the capital city, capital and largest city of South Korea. The broader Seoul Metropolitan Area, encompassing Seoul, Gyeonggi Province and Incheon, emerged as the world's List of cities b ...

, where they had planned to rob a house filled with cash. When they reached it, however, the pair parted ways, and Dae-doo resumed robbing and killing by himself. On September 7, Kim entered a home in Seoul's

Jungnang District Jungnang District () is one of the 25 ''gu'', or districts, of Seoul, South Korea. It is located on the north side of the Han River. It is characterized by a typical residential area with many natural green areas such as Yongma, Mangwoo, and B ...

, killing the 60-year-old man who lived there. On September 25, he travelled to the remote countryside near

Pyeongtaek Pyeongtaek (; ) is a city in Gyeonggi Province, South Korea. Located in the southwestern part of the province, Pyeongtaek was founded as a union of two districts in 1940. It was elevated to city status in 1986 and is home to a South Korean naval b ...

, breaking inside the house where an elderly woman and her three grandchildren were living. Kim is said to have attacked the woman and two of the male children (aged 5 and 7, respectively) with a

meat cleaver A cleaver is a large knife that varies in its shape but usually resembles a rectangular-bladed tomahawk. It is largely used as a kitchen knife, kitchen or butcher knife and is mostly intended for splitting up large pieces of soft bones and slas ...

, smashing it into their faces so hard that the faces were

mutilated Mutilation or maiming (from the ) is severe damage to the body that has a subsequent harmful effect on an individual's quality of life. In the modern era, the term has an overwhelmingly negative connotation, referring to alterations that rend ...

beyond recognition, and the cleaver's handle eventually breaking. He then dragged the 11-year-old granddaughter outside the house and attempted to

rape Rape is a type of sexual assault involving sexual intercourse, or other forms of sexual penetration, carried out against a person without consent. The act may be carried out by physical force, coercion, abuse of authority, or against a person ...

her, but after failing to do so, he tied up her face with a ''

furoshiki are traditional Japanese wrapping cloths traditionally used to wrap and/or to transport goods. Consideration is placed on the aesthetics of , which may feature hemmed edges, thicker and more expensive materials, and hand-painted designs; ho ...

'' to a nearby tree, where the child suffocated to death. On September 27, Kim attacked another family in

Guri Guri (; ) is a city in Gyeonggi Province, South Korea. It is located immediately to the east of Seoul, in the heart of the Capital Metropolitan Area. The Royal Tombs of the Joseon Dynasty are located in the city. The hill of Achasan is also ...

, killing a young couple and their 3-year-old child, as well as wounding two others. Three days later, he broke into a home in

Gunpo Gunpo (; ), formerly romanized as Kunp'o, is a city in Gyeonggi Province, South Korea. It is south of Seoul and in the Seoul National Capital Area. It borders Anyang to the north, Uiwang to the east, and Ansan to the south and west, and is connec ...

, raping and killing the mother before beating her 3-month-old baby to death. On October 2, Kim attacked a young couple in

Suwon Suwon (; ) is the largest city and capital of Gyeonggi Province, South Korea's most populous province. The city lies approximately south of the national capital, Seoul. With a population of 1.2 million, Suwon has more inhabitants than Ulsan, tho ...

, killing them both. The following day, he attempted to kill a caddy at a

golf course A golf course is the grounds on which the sport of golf is played. It consists of a series of holes, each consisting of a teeing ground, tee box, a #Fairway and rough, fairway, the #Fairway and rough, rough and other hazard (golf), hazards, and ...

in Suwon, but the victim survived the attack. Kim fled back to Seoul, where he attempted to enlist another ex-convict he had met in

Dobong District Dobong District () is one of the 25 districts of Seoul, South Korea. As of 2020, Dobong has a population of 315,979 and an area of , and is divided into four administrative neighborhoods. The district is located in northeastern Seoul, bordering ...

as his accomplice. The young man instead stole his belongings and tried to run away, but Kim caught up with him and killed him, stealing his would-be helper's

jeans Jeans are a type of trousers made from denim or dungaree cloth. Often the term "jeans" refers to a particular style of trousers, called "blue jeans", with the addition of copper pocket rivets added by Jacob W. Davis in 1871 and patented by ...

Arrest and investigation

Despite the fact that the jeans he had stolen were still covered in blood, Kim went to a

laundromat A self-service laundry, coin laundry, or coin wash, is a facility where clothes and some household textiles are washed and dried without much personalized professional help. They are known in the United Kingdom as launderettes or laundrettes, ...

near Cheongnyangni Station to have them cleaned. When asked by the proprietor, 26-year-old Ha Geun-bae, about why they had so much blood on them, Kim claimed that he had been in a fight with a friend and the spots were from a

nosebleed A nosebleed, also known as epistaxis, is an instance of bleeding from the nose. Blood can flow down into the stomach, and cause nausea and vomiting. In more severe cases, blood may come out of both nostrils. Rarely, bleeding may be so significa ...

. Ha did not believe his explanation, as the blood seemed way too much for a nosebleed, and he contacted the police about the suspicious client. Not long after, Kim was arrested and taken a police station. There, he first repeated his initial claim that the bloodstains were a result of a fight, but later on changed his testimony that he had been beaten up by local thugs. In an attempt to verify his account, the detectives interrogated several local

gangster A gangster (informally gangsta) is a criminal who is a member of a gang. Most gangs are considered to be part of organized crime. Gangsters are also called mobsters, a term derived from ''Organized crime, mob'' and the suffix ''wikt:-ster, -st ...

s, all of whom denied even meeting Kim. After this, detectives deduced that their detainee was likely a murderer, and began pressuring him for the real cause of the bloodstains. Eventually, Kim buckled and confessed to his crimes, implicating his accomplice Kim Hoe-woon, who was also arrested shortly afterwards. Two days after his arrest, Kim was ordered to go on site inspections to showcase how exactly he had committed the murders. It has been rumored that he acted arrogantly during the procedures, chewing gum and laughing loudly, but this has not been verified with certainty. At the investigations, it was noted that he often targeted isolated, impoverished homes from which little money was stolen, which appeared to be deliberate, as the police focused on robberies committed against the middle and upper classes more frequently. In total, his total loot stolen from the crime scenes amounted to 26,800 won.

Trial, imprisonment and execution

At their initial trial, both Dae-doo and Hae-woon were convicted on charges of murder, rape, robbery and attempted robbery and

sentenced to death Capital punishment, also known as the death penalty and formerly called judicial homicide, is the state-sanctioned killing of a person as punishment for actual or supposed misconduct. The sentence ordering that an offender be punished in s ...

. At a follow-up trial, the latter's sentence was reduced to

life imprisonment Life imprisonment is any sentence (law), sentence of imprisonment under which the convicted individual is to remain incarcerated for the rest of their natural life (or until pardoned or commuted to a fixed term). Crimes that result in life impr ...

, as the judge recognized that he had only acted in one case and had been coerced by his partner. While awaiting execution, Dae-doo converted to

Christianity Christianity is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion, which states that Jesus in Christianity, Jesus is the Son of God (Christianity), Son of God and Resurrection of Jesus, rose from the dead after his Crucifixion of Jesus, crucifixion, whose ...

and is said to have openly repented for his actions after attending church services. On December 28, 1976, Kim Dae-doo was

hanged Hanging is killing a person by suspending them from the neck with a noose or ligature strangulation, ligature. Hanging has been a standard method of capital punishment since the Middle Ages, and has been the primary execution method in numerou ...

at the

Seodaemun Prison Seodaemun Prison History Hall () is a museum and former prison in Seodaemun District, Seoul, South Korea. It was constructed beginning in 1907. The prison was opened on October 21, 1908, under the name Gyeongseong Gamok. During the early part of ...

in Seoul, despite protests from his lawyer Lee Sang-hyeok, who had requested that his sentence be commuted and his case thoroughly examined to prevent similar incidents in the future. Just before his execution, Kim is said to have left behind a

will Will may refer to: Common meanings * Will and testament, instructions for the disposition of one's property after death * Will (philosophy), or willpower * Will (sociology) * Will, volition (psychology) * Will, a modal verb - see Shall and will ...

, requesting that the justice system segregate small-time offenders and dangerous

recidivist Recidivism (; from 'recurring', derived from 'again' and 'to fall') is the act of a person repeating an undesirable behavior after they have experienced negative consequences of that behavior, or have been trained to extinguish it. Reci ...

s from one another, so that first-time offenders would not learn how to commit further crimes.

In the media

In 2017, a movie based on the case, titled ''

Ordinary Person ''Ordinary Person'' () is a 2017 South Korean crime-action drama film directed by Kim Bong-han, starring Son Hyun-joo and Jang Hyuk. It was released on 23 March 2017. Synopsis In the spring of 1987, Kang Sung-jin (Son Hyun-joo) was an upright p ...

'', was released. After the film's release, the director Kim Bong-han gave an interview to ''

The Hankyoreh ''The Hankyoreh'' () is a centre-left liberal daily newspaper in South Korea. It was established in 1988 after widespread purges forced out dissident journalists, and was envisioned as an alternative to existing newspapers, which were regarde ...

'', in which he suggested the possibility that the case had a lot of inconsistencies and that Kim could have been innocent. In 2019, a

podcast A podcast is a Radio program, program made available in digital format for download over the Internet. Typically, a podcast is an Episode, episodic series of digital audio Computer file, files that users can download to a personal device or str ...

examining murder cases in South Korea covered Kim on their 40th episode.

References