Elite Korean Matchmaking Service For Ultra Wealthy Ends With Marriage, Incest, and Murder

Barabing, baraboo. Madam Due makes money off of love. I. mean, technically speaking, marriages. are known to be one of the most. expensive promises that you can make. Even just the wedding itself, you have. so many people that can potentially make. a profit. You've got wedding dress. designers, florists, venue owners. But. if Madam Due is invited to your wedding, you can expect to pay her a hundred. thousand dollars USD. Who's Madam Due? She is one of the best matchmakers in.

South Korea. And you really can't put a price on. love, can you? Matchmaking services aren't as common. here in the US. Like we have dating. apps, but we don't necessarily have a. company that you go to and you sit down. and you say, "Hey, I'm trying to get. married. This is the person I want." But. in South Korea, it's a pretty normal. thing. There's a whole system built. around it. Even matchmaking companies. have their own niche. Some focus on the. mass middle market. Some focus only on. the upper class. Some only ever the.

upper of society. A lot of parents will. bring in pictures of their children and. just beg the matchmakers to find someone. suitable for them to marry. If they take. on a new client, matchmakers will run. extensive background checks, family. background checks. So not only do you. have to have a clean background, but. every single person in your family has. to have a clean background. It matters. not only what university you graduated. from, but it also matters where your. great grandpa graduated from. Family. pedigree is everything in this business.

Once they run that preliminary. background check, status verification, everyone gets matched into their. respective tier within the matchmaking. company. So generally, just across the. board for all genders, family. background, family net worth, education. levels, these three are going to be the. biggest things that the matchmakers take. into consideration that's going to be. the basis of their ranking, their tier. system. Then there are other things. Are. your parents still married? Are they. divorced? Do you own property? Do you.

own a car? What zip code do you live in? For guys, they're judged more based on. earning potential. For women, they're. judged a bit less on earning potential. and a bit more on figure and appearance. And side note, this is kind of crazy, but some matchmaking companies in. Kangnam, so the Beverly Hills of South. Korea, they will even partner with. plastic surgery clinics. They will. recommend to clients to get specific. surgeries done in order to appeal to the. opposite gender. They're like, "You want a husband in. your same tier or maybe the tier above. you? You're going to need to do work on.

this." Wow. If you go to the top. matchmaking companies in Kangnam, at the. very, very, very top tier, you're going. to find conglomerate kids. These are the. chaebol kids, top-level elites. Their. parents' net worths are likely in the. hundreds of millions, if not even closer. to the billion-dollar mark. Even if you join that same matchmaking. company that has chaebol kids at the. top, chances are you're never going to. meet with them. This is like the secret. group, the unattainables. So those.

people use matchmaking, too? Some do. Oh. I guess it's hard to find love. nowadays. I guess only it's like 20. companies that they're like swapping. between, so I don't know why they would. need matchmakers. This, I mean, few and. far between. But the rank right below. it, this is top-tier status. This is the. academic line. You've got judges, attorneys, prosecutors. Interestingly. enough, in Korea, they're ranked higher. than doctors. Judges, law. Law. Then the third rank.

consists of doctors, surgeons, psychiatrists, maybe a dentist here or. there. There's even a joke that the best. kind of son-in-law for anybody is a job. title that ends with -sa. Pansa, judge. Uisa, doctor. Byeonhosa, lawyer. Geomsa, prosecutor. Huh. -sas. are the most coveted positions for. grooms. So change your last name to -sa. No, I. know. Stephanie's -sa. And then you have rank four. Professors.

are those with positions high up in. administration at the IVs of South. Korea. It's like very specific. These. are very specific jobs. I mean, I feel. like in America, we wouldn't have this. ranking system, and if we did, they. would not be rank four. Yeah, yeah, yeah. I like how like they are so. precise. Like it's like you know exactly. where you fall in society. Not even. about what are you contributing, like. what's your passion, like it's just like. you got this job, you are right here. Yeah, and it's a lot of the jobs are.

based on prestige, not even earning. level, because you'll see that. entrepreneurs and business owners rank. probably lower. But most of them might make more money. than, let's say, someone who works in. admin at an Ivy League school. So. fascinating. Yeah, it's interesting. Then you have. rank five, diplomats, government. employees, but they must be engaged in. foreign affairs. Just regular government government. employees don't matter. Foreign affairs. Yeah. Rank six, now these are the technical.

jobs. I feel like these are the jobs. that we kind of covered in the Western. world, coders, consultants, investment. bankers. Then you start heading into what they. consider the general population. The. rank below that would be just across the. board, anyone who graduated from a. university abroad. Now, it's very, very. interesting, but it's highly sought. after in South Korea, because it. typically indicates two things. When you. study abroad, you're not allowed to work. at the same time. So that means your. family has enough money to not only send. you abroad to a private school, pay.

out-of-country tuition fees, which are. insane, and support your lifestyle while. you're in a foreign country. Mhm. That's. a lot of money. And then, the second thing is you. probably know a second or potentially. even a third language. Then you have the. regular office workers, but they must. work for one of the big companies in. Korea, Samsung, Hyundai, SK. It's like. anyone here working for Meta, Apple, Google. Like it's the trifecta, right? Then lastly, the very last tier, you've. got entrepreneurs, teachers, government.

employees that get pension, but don't. really they're not Wait, wait, wait. Entrepreneurs at the bottom of the Yes. No freaking way. Business owners are at the bottom. Oh my god, that's so weird. Most matchmaking companies in Kangnam. won't even take anyone below, and I say. quote, below this tier. Wait, what's on in that tier again? Entrepreneur? Entrepreneurs, government employees, and. teachers. Wow. That's crazy. One of the more. exclusive ones in Kangnam called Best. Class, they said, "You know, we try to.

be honest in our approach to. matchmaking. If the ability to hunt. animals was what made you sought-after. bachelor in the Stone Ages, it's. economic capabilities that give you the. competitive edge today." This agency in. particular does not really take men. under this status level. Some matchmakers won't even take you. unless you have the three keys. A key to a house, a key to a car, and a. key to an office. Some matchmakers make it five, add. another vacation home and a second car. to the list. Yeah. Most matchmaking. services won't even take foreigners,

because they said, "It is impossible to. verify the family pedigree and asset. ownership if they're not from Korea.". They need to verify everything. This is. the foundation of their business, making. sure that nobody gets lied to. So once you're placed in a tier within. the company, now, now you finally get to. tell the matchmakers what you're looking. for in a partner. Personality, looks, hobbies. Side note, an interesting thing. is matchmakers said, "A lot of us have. degrees in psychology, because you need.

to be very quick on your feet and. understand social cues. Because men will. sit there and ramble about how they want. their wife to be A, B, C, and D, and it. all just equals to young and hot.". Women will ramble, and it all just. equals to wealthy, earning potential. So. you got to decode it very quickly. So. they said that they'll look at all the. other clients within the same tier as. you to figure out who's the best fit. And a matchmaker from Korea said, "You. know, a lot of people think that joining. a matchmaking service is the easiest way.

to marry rich. But it almost never happens. You almost. always get introduced to someone within. your tier.". Mhm. So they're saying you you you join. this business so you can one day marry a. rich man, but likely they are just. marrying within their class. Yeah. And it's a little bit easier for. women to have upward mobility in. marriage, but it's very dependent on. looks then. And it's very superficial, and I don't think most women want that. And interestingly enough, more men are. registered in these services than women.

In matchmaking? In matchmaking. Huh. So. it said that a lot of wealthy men. actually think it's a lot cheaper, more. economical in the end, to just go. straight to a matchmaker and pay them a. hundred thousand dollars when they're. ready to get married. So they've messed. around, they've done all that they. wanted to do, and now it's time to get. serious. Another thing that might play. into this, and I'm giving you guys so. much cultural background on this one, I'm so sorry, right? And this doesn't. apply to every single person in South. Korea, you know, we should never. generalize. But in Korea, typically the. business world does value figureheads, and I'm sure it's the same in America.

When we have presidential races, look at. how much they thrust their partner into. the spotlight. Mhm. A lot of Korean. businessmen, it's advantageous for them. to have stable marriages that the public. can look upon and say, "See, he's not. evil. He's a family man." So they're. like, "Okay, now I need to get serious, because it'll benefit my career and. everything else. I need to find a wife. ASAP. Why waste time trying to naturally. bump into someone, go on a bajillion. dates that's going to cost me money, only to find out our values don't add.

up, they're ready to get married, they. lied to me, it doesn't make sense." So. this is just honestly the cheaper way. Also, this seems to be a thing in. wealthier communities, but marriage is. about love, yes, okay? But it is also. about two families being united through. a relationship, not just between two. spouses. It's about two families coming. together and how both sides can stand to. benefit and solidify their social status. through marriage. One matchmaker said, "It's not enough for two people to fall. in love with each other. It's possible.

to meet people who match your style and. preference, but meeting expectations is. something else. What kind of house. you're going to live in after marriage, how much income is expected, are all. realistic details that need to be met. before the match.". And this is a bit unhinged, but at one. point it was not uncommon for parents to. come on the dates with their kids. Yeah. So, the fee obviously varies, but for. the elites of society, they're looking. at around anywhere between $100,000 and. upwards if the matchmaking gets all the.

way to the altar. Mrs. Moon did not mind. the fee at all. Honestly, she welcomed. it. She went out there and she looked. for the best matchmaker in the town, and. Mrs. Moon's husband was the founder and. owner of a flower factory. This flower. factory had now turned into a big. distribution company for flour and. bread, like gluten and co. They also. owned some small hotels and clubs on the. side. The Moons, they're as new money as. new money gets. She could throw cash around like it was. nothing. But her daughter, her daughter marrying.

someone with a bit more prestige, it. would be the perfect way to solidify. their status not as new money, but as a. a force to be reckoned with, as a classy. family. You know? She wanted a sa groom for her daughter. Remember? Judge, lawyer, doctor, prosecutor. Now, Madam Doo told her she. had the perfect person in mind. Okay, like a list of people. She whipped out a. long list of soon-to-be judges that were. clients of hers and told her, "It's your. pick. I mean, I can't tell you that.

these men will want to marry your. daughter, but hey, we can set them up on. some dates.". Mrs. Moon was instantly intrigued by. 27-year-old by the name of Kim Hyun. We're just going to call him Hyun. Soon-to-be judge, never married, no. children, he was perfect for her. daughter. And I guess everyone agreed. because they were going to get married. And the fees were very straightforward. $22,000 from each side. The groom will. pay the matchmaking company, the bride. will pay the matchmaking company 22K. So, total of $44,000.

Now, in South Korea, there's something. called bride money. This is very, very. traditional. In Korea, some wealthier. families participate in this tradition. where the bride's family will give the. groom's family straight-up cash. For someone at the Moon family level, it. would be a little over half a million. dollars. What? So, 10% of that would be around. $55,000. plus the $44,000. That's almost $100,000. that Madam Doo is about to make. Mm, so. 10% of that bride's money goes to the.

matchmaking. Yes. Wow. Mrs. Moon had no problem. paying. She practically skipped to Madam. Doo with a stack of cash. She got. exactly what she wanted and she was fine. paying market value for it. But Hyun, the soon-to-be judge, after he. marries the Moon daughter, he's. thinking, "I know the law better than. any of these people do. And technically, legally speaking, I don't have to pay Madam Doo. $22,000." Yeah? "I never entered into a. contractual business with her, so.

I should be fine. What's done is done. We're already. married. What is she going to do? Force. us to get a divorce? She can't do that.". This guy had no idea what Madam Doo was. capable of. She would do absolutely. everything in her power to ruin this. marriage. There will be a string of. anonymous phone calls, a torture room. where people are hung by their limbs so. they develop heart problems, accusations. of incest, cheating, stalking, private. investigators, a milkman that gets. hypnotized, and it all ends with a.

family member dead and another in jail. for murder. Wow. We would like to thank today's sponsors. who have made it possible for Rotten. Mango to support the National Network to.

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on growing our RM team and are currently. hiring for full-time in-person. researchers who are already based in. Atlanta or must be willing to relocate. to Atlanta, Georgia. If you guys are. interested, you can apply through the. Google Form that's going to be linked in. the description. As always, full show. notes are available at. rottenmangopodcast.com. This is a Korean case. We had our. wonderful Korean researchers and. translators who worked really hard to. get all the data for this case. They did. give me a very ominous warning, though, that there are parties involved that are. wealthy, well-connected, and very. lawsuit-happy. An attorney associated.

with this case has already been sued, and the only reason that he did not face. major repercussions was because he. changed some of the names associated. with the case, which, you know, that's what we're going to do. It's a. little bit different in South Korea. because you technically can sue someone. even if they're telling the truth, but. just as a precaution to keep us and our. researchers. safe, we will also be changing some of. the cases or really any case, if there's. anything lost in communication, translation, or something we didn't.

cover, let us know in the comments so. that we can see it. And with that being said, let's get. started. She just had a gut feeling that. he was cheating. I mean, she could sense. it. This was even before she got all. those anonymous phone calls. The phone. calls that were saying things along the. lines of, "You know, he wasn't really at. a business meeting. Who's this? Why do you think that he's. been working out more? I'm sorry, is this a prank? Don't tell. me he told you that he was working late. again.". She just kept getting these anonymous. phone calls back-to-back-to-back. And at. first she thought it was a weird prank,

but the more that she was looking at. him, the more that she could see it. He. was a lying little cheater. She starts doing some questionable. things. At first it was a bit more. innocent. She would try to look over his. shoulder anytime he was looking on his. phone. She would try to call him at odd hours. of the day to ask him where he was, what. he's doing, trying to catch him in a. lie. But none of it is working. It got to the. point where she became almost obsessed. with the idea of catching him cheating. It's almost like she wanted him to cheat. so that she wouldn't feel like she was. losing her mind.

She put a piece of thread just outside. the front door handle. So, if he snuck out and came back in, she would be able to tell that the. thread would have fallen off. But there was no way that she could. bring that up as proof that he was. cheating. She would just sound like a. crazy woman. "The piece of thread, I put. the piece of thread there and now it's. gone.". So, then she started sprinkling a light. layer of sand in front of the door. That. way if he stepped out, she would see his. footprint in the sand. Wait, she's thinking the husband leaves. in the middle of the night, secretly. snuck out? Yeah. Wow. What? But even if.

she could match up his shoe with the. print, it wasn't evidence that he was. cheating. He could say that he's getting. fresh air. So, when that didn't work, she installed. a secret camera outside their front. door, watched for all movements, logged. into his work email on her phone so that. she could check in real time when he was. working and responding to emails. She. even hired a worker at the courthouse to. stalk him once he became a judge, but it. still wasn't the evidence that she was. looking for. She was getting nothing out. of this. So, she starts upping the.

stakes. She would dress up in these long. pink rubber gloves, colorful. floral-print flowy pants and sweater. paired with a visor. A disguise. Her new identity was a woman working at. the market selling fish. What? Another favorite disguise of hers. was a gray monk robe. She would put on. these unhinged disguises, lurk around. the corner, hiding behind walls, hiding. her face behind a basket of raw fish, just stalking the man. She felt like. eventually he would be caught.

One time she even flew out of the. country to stalk him. He was on vacation. with a woman, her daughter. But Mrs. Moon did not want her daughter. to live out the same fate as she did. She was certain her son-in-law was. cheating on her daughter. She was. married to a serial cheater just like. Mrs. Moon was. She knew what that life was like. So, the daughter's mother is stalking the. son-in-law the whole time. Imagine we're happy, we're doing great, and my mom is stalking you, convinced. you're cheating on me.

Right. Okay. Even stalking us on vacation, showing up. and hiding around in ajumma clothes, lurking around the corner. And I have no clue. I have no clue. either. Okay. Wow. Yeah, none of us have. a clue what's going on. Huh. Mrs. Moon. was married to a successful business. owner, and she caught him cheating in. the act several times, and yet there was. nothing she could do about it. She. couldn't leave him. One time she was driving her car, stopped at a red light, looked to the. side, there's Mr. Moon happily smiling. in the car with another woman. She.

slammed her foot down, rammed her car. into his, and even after all of this, Mr. Moon still chose to keep seeing his. mistress, even fathered a child with one. of them. Mrs. Moon didn't want her. daughter to go through the same things. that she had experienced. So, she. watched her son-in-law like a hawk. During one family gathering, he stepped. aside to take a phone call, and he's. speaking softly into the phone. I mean, he wasn't saying anything crazy or or. anything like that. It was just a very. normal conversation. And right after.

hanging up, he turns around, and boom, his mother-in-law is standing inches. away from him. "Who's that?". "Oh, uh my cousin.". "Your cousin?". "Yeah. My cousin.". And there it was. The evidence that Mrs. Moon needed. Not. only was Hyun, her son-in-law, cheating. on her precious daughter, but the. honorable judge was sleeping with his. own cousin. That was the conclusion she came to.

That's all? And it would end in murder. People think being a private. investigator is a thrilling glamorous. job, and more often than not, if you go. on like Reddit and you look at private. investigator AMAs, I'm so intrigued by. it. They say it's pretty boring. It's. pretty mundane. Most of your day is. sitting in the car drinking coffee, looking at a house and nothing is. happening. Or just watching someone. sitting in the parking lot for 8 hours. while they're in work and then having to. follow them out. You're almost waiting for them to do. something horrendous, but they almost. never do. And this was probably one of.

the most boring jobs that these private. investigators had taken on. If the crazy. lady did not pay so much, they probably. wouldn't have even bothered to do this. gig. First of all, why are they stalking. a law student from the prestigious Ivy. League university, Ewha Women's College? Second of all, all the girl does is. study, sleep, study, sleep. Studying is. boring. Stalking someone who only. studies all day is mind-numbingly. boring. And not only that, she's so. morally upstanding, there's nothing to. even dig into. They did background. checks, nothing. They did everything. They tried to talk to friends, nothing.

Most aspiring attorneys that make it to. a school like this, they want to join. one of the top big law firms because. there you can stand to make millions a. year as long as you play your cards. right. Or maybe you want to start your. own law firm one day. Again, a very. lucrative business. This girl, she. wanted to be a public defender. The most unglamorous, one of the least. financially rewarding career paths, one. of the most emotionally, mentally, physically exhausting career paths for. someone who spent the best years of. their youth trying to pass the bar.

So, in Korea, it's very difficult to. become an attorney. I don't want to say. it's more difficult than the US because. I don't have exact figures, but I don't. know if it's the population pool. I. don't know what it is. But the bar exam. to become an attorney is next-level. The competition is insane. There are. instances where in the entire nation, only 55 people pass the bar exam. Jeez. And I mean, these people are smart. people. It's not like they're less. intelligent than western counterparts. They're insane. It takes on average 5.

years for people to pass, sometimes even. 10. And you're talking about people that. could do some crazy stuff in their. heads. The person they're stalking is going. through all of this just to become a. public defender because her core belief. is that before the law, everyone should. be equal. It doesn't make sense to the. private investigators why someone would. pay so much money to have multiple. private investigators stalk her of all. people. It's not like she's a public.

defender already working on a very. controversial case. Mhm. And all because of what? A phone call? The private investigators are like, you. know, that's weird cuz cousins talk all. the time. I mean, it made sense why. these two would talk even more because. Chi-hye, the girl that they're stalking, she's trying to pass the bar. Hyun, the. son-in-law, he's already passed the bar. and is a judge. Why wouldn't she call. him non-stop to get advice? Yeah. Or. just to talk about some of the stress. she's having. That seemed very. reasonable. What kind of person hears. two cousins talking on the phone having.

an innocent conversation and immediately. jumps to the conclusion that they're. sleeping with each other? And it's clear. Mrs. Moon really believed it. She, on. top of what she was paying the. investigators, she bought $20,000 worth. of spy gear, as she called it, gave it. out to the PIs to use, binoculars, spy. cams. One of them said, "We had about. four cars lying in wait 24 hours around. the clock, undercover, binoculars, hidden cameras, all of it to stalk a. student that did nothing but go to the. library.".

Imagine having four black sedans lined. up just. like they're stalking the president or. something. Just a college student. One of them. said, "I felt bad for the girl, honestly. The most exciting thing in her. day was going to the bakery to buy some. bread. And then she would immediately go. back to studying. I never once saw her. even take a sip of alcohol somewhere, never saw her meet up with any guys. It. was honestly frustrating stalking her. All we did was tail her from the library. to her house, to her school, and that. was it. She didn't even have fun, ever.". Wow. And the girl has no idea.

No idea. Wow. The PIs would be eating kimbap in. their car, rice rolls, rubbing their. shoulders cuz they're like sitting in. that position 13 hours a day. And their. phone would ring and they said that it. was Mrs. Moon again. And they would have. to hold the phone 6 inches away from. their ear because of how much Mrs. Moon. loved to scream. She would scream things. like, "Are you sure? They still haven't. met? There's no way. Are you sure you're. even doing your job well?" "We're. absolutely positive. We have like six. eyeballs on this girl. She has not left.

the house all day and nobody has come to. see her." "How do you know that she. didn't slip away while you were using. the restroom? Did you use the restroom. today?". "Then that's a chance that she could. have slipped away.". She stopped letting them use the. restroom while they were watching. Chi-hye. Mrs. Moon had a group of PIs watching. the cousin, Chi-hye, and another group. watching her son-in-law, Hyun. But when. she still hadn't caught them in the act. after months and months of this, months. of pouring in probably over six figures, she hired another group. Their job was.

not to watch the cousin or to watch. Hyun, but to watch the original PIs to. make sure the PIs were doing their job. She hired private investigators to watch. the private investigators to make sure. that the original private investigators. were doing their job and watching the. subjects. Wow. That is out of this world. She also. hired police officers to help her stalk. Hyun's cousin. She made them access both. of their phone records because the. private investigators couldn't do it,

but the police could. She wanted phone. records to see if they were secretly. communicating somehow, texting. They. kept all their phone records and it was. all clean, but she refused to believe. it. "Trust me, I know how sneaky they are. If you go to the basement floor of that. girl's dorm building, I bet you there's. some sort of tunnel." She literally. thinks that there's a tunnel. This is. not me like Yeah. "She's probably gone. through the tunnel to meet with my. son-in-law because she's a whore.". If the private investigators or the.

officers didn't believe her, she would. just hire more people to, quote, figure. out the truth. Over the span of 2 years, she had 25. people stalking a college student. She would try and motivate them by. saying things like $400,000. $400,000. That's how much you'll make if you can. get me a picture of both of them. sleeping together. Or at least a picture of them entering a. hotel together. See, I don't get it. What is she trying to do? No one knows because Okay, Let's say she gets that photo. Is she. going to force a divorce? Is she going.

to. Like, what is she going to do? There are. a few speculations. So, the first. speculation that came about was that she. wanted the bridal money back now that. she assumes that he's cheating. But. she's spending $400,000. Exactly. That's why most people don't. believe in that theory because she's. spending money like it's water. She has. no value of money. She doesn't care for. money like that. Yeah. So, I don't think that's it. A lot. of people think that it's the psychology. of a parent warning their child of. something because it happened to them so. much and then they want it to happen to.

the kid almost so they could be like, "See, Mommy was right. Only Mommy could. have warned you." Okay. It's almost like you tell a kid, "Don't. talk to strangers because strangers are. creepy." But maybe your kid doesn't. listen to you and your kid is like, "Mhm, you're just paranoid and crazy, Mom." So, it's just a simple like, "I. was right" moment. Like, "I told you so". moment. It feels like she's trying to confirm. this idea that she has of men and. marriage and the world and then also. make her daughter see that. Yeah, cuz this is a behavior she's not. trying to keep the daughter and son. together.

No. But at the same time, I don't know. if she wants them to divorce, right? Yeah. It's just really bizarre. Yeah. I She just wants someone to. experience what she experienced is a big. idea that people have. Cuz it's not It's. not maternal. Whatever she's doing is. not in protection of her daughter. Mhm. Maybe her daughter didn't believe. her that her husband is cheating. Mhm. But it's just odd. So, the PIs, they would roll their eyes and continue. working and they said, "In hindsight,

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Ji-hye and her family knew that. something was wrong long before she. disappeared. Ji-hye came home one day. and told her parents, "I feel like. there's this creepy man watching me. Like stalking me.". She said that she kept looking over her. shoulder walking back home from the. library, and he was constantly there. So, she did something very smart. She. tried taking four left turns just to see. if he was still there, because what is. four left turns? It's a circle, and he. was still there walking in a circle with. her.

So, she said she walked straight up to. the guy and asked, "Are you following. me?" He looked taken aback. He didn't. respond. He just kind of uh uh uh uh and. then scurried off. It's so strange. Ever since that incident, being the. methodical person that Ji-hye is, she's. trying to be an attorney. She starts. jotting down notes of every single. creepy person that even glances her way, because she doesn't know who this could. be, why they would watch her. And then. the phone calls started. It was almost. always the same. Ji-hye's parents would. pick up, and someone on the other line. would ask, "Is Ji-hye studying at home?".

"Who's this? Why are you looking for my. daughter? Are you the one following. her?". The line would go dead. The creepy thing about this was they. said at first the voice sounded like a. man's voice, but the longer that they. listened, the more it sounded like a. woman pretending to sound like a man to. hide their identity. Mhm. Even Ji-hye's friends started getting. these bizarre phone calls. It was. usually around midnight. "Hi, I was just. wondering if um you have Ji-hye's new. phone number?". "Uh who is this?" "I I'm a close family.

friend of Ji-hye's.". It's just weird. They never explained. how they even got the friend's number, not Ji-hye's number, and why they were. calling so late. And if you're a family. friend, call a family member of Ji-hye. Why are you calling me? Mhm. When the. friends weren't cooperative because of. how creepy it was, the person would get. frustrated and hang up. For the longest time, the family would. practically jump out of their skin every. time their phone rang. But this time it. was their nephew, Hyun. So, Ji-hye's cousin, the son-in-law, the judge.

"Hey Hyun, um did you recently go on a. trip to Japan with Ji-hye?". "Yeah, how did you know? We were just. there for a short like a few days, so we. forgot to tell people about it. I I. don't remember telling you or your. parents.". "Yeah, um look, I just wanted to say. that you should be careful. I think my. mother-in-law is watching you. I think she put a tail on you. I think. she suspects there's something going on. with me and Ji-hye for whatever reason.". So, the speculation is that no one in. the family knew that Ji-hye and her mom. had gone to Japan. The mother-in-law.

probably assumed everybody knew and let. it slip. Mhm. The son-in-law was. starting to suspect his mother-in-law. and was like, "Huh, let me just. confirm." And once he confirmed it, he's. like, "Okay, something weird is. happening.". Ji-hye's family, they couldn't even. begin to comprehend what the hell this. means. Like, what do you mean you think. your mother-in-law thinks there's. something going on between you and your. cousin? Like, what a bizarre, out-of-this-world, unhinged assumption. to make? Yeah, it's so unhinged. Ji-hye's dad got.

involved, and he told his nephew, "Look, this is your mother-in-law. We have no. idea why she would even think this way, but you're the only one that can fix it. Just tell her straight up you're not. sleeping with your cousin, and that is. absurd. And honestly, you shouldn't even. need to be telling her something like. this.". Hyun refuses. And this becomes a huge point of. contention. Why would he refuse to deny. an alleged affair with his own cousin? Because he was the second to be sold by. his parents. That's how people see it. Hyun's older brother was a doctor,

an uisa, so another son-in-law. When he. got married, the bride's family gifted. them a big lump sum of cash, and now it. was Hyun's turn. Honestly, this marriage. was more of a business transaction than. anything. There were negotiations with. potential bride families about how much. the bridal money would be, and it seemed. like the Moons had the best offer. $500,000 for his hand in marriage by a. soon-to-be judge. Even Ji-hye's dad didn't agree with what. Hyun's parents were doing. But he's an. adult, and they can't fight his battles.

for him, right? Hyun was really good at. studying, but it seemed like he had no. opinion, no direction, no control over. his own life. One of his ex-girlfriends. probably knew better than anybody else, but they fell in love in college. She. gets introduced to Hyun's parents, and. they immediately reject the. relationship. They told him straight up, "We don't like her. Break up with her.". And like a robot, he broke up with her. He just did whatever his parents wanted. him to do. So, when they wanted him to. marry Mrs. Moon's daughter, he just did. as he was told. He was going to marry.

her, but he also wouldn't be a present. or loyal husband. He would just be there on paper. It seemed like he just didn't really. care if his mother-in-law thought he was. cheating or not, even if it was with his. cousin. He's like, "Whatever.". There is a popular theory that Hyun was. having an affair, but not with his. cousin, because it's said that he was. caught on the phone with someone and at. his in-laws' house, remember? But it. wasn't Ji-hye he was talking to. Mhm. So, now in order to conceal his. potential affair, he's just not even.

talking about Ji-hye to his. mother-in-law. But if he is actually having an affair, wouldn't they found out already by all. these private investigator? See, that's also another thing that. people are saying. Like, why would he. not say anything? How would they not. find out? Yeah. But it's just I think people are. trying to understand why he wouldn't say. anything. anything. Yes, but. I'm a Yeah, I think there's a level of. what you're saying, but he probably. don't care. Like, it doesn't impact him. as much it impacts the cousin. And I.

also. it's such a weird conversation to be. had. Yes. That's what I was about to say. I. wonder if maybe the mother-in-law was. accusing him of having an affair with. another woman, maybe he would have. addressed it. But if there is an ajumma. out there accusing you of sleeping with. your cousin, you almost like don't even. want to address it. Perhaps. Maybe she didn't even accuse him. She's. just doing all that in the back end. And. he just found out. showing it. And it's a lot of a. discomfort to bring it out into the. open, Right. everyone knows what's going on. Right. Some people thought it was weird though.

that he did not confess to it. So, regardless, Hyun did nothing, and Ji-hye. and her parents were frustrated. And but. I do think that they were honestly a bit. relieved. Maybe they felt a bit more at. ease knowing that it was just a crazy. mother-in-law situation instead of I. don't know, human traffickers, organ. traffickers, right? Even just knowing. who had set up the PIs to watch her, it. seemed to bring the family a tiny. inkling of. "Okay, this is still very scary, very. odd, but at least we know kind of what.

we're dealing with." They were still. very vigilant though. They got a. restraining order against Mrs. Moon, their cousin's mother-in-law. And side. note, Mrs. Moon tried to tell the judge. that it was against her right to. happiness and her right to equality if. the court approved this restraining. order. They did not listen. They approved it. It It's such an audacious thing to. argue, but worse than that, Ji-hye's dad. remembers while they were all in front. of the judge, Mrs. Moon turned to look. at Ji-hye, and she just had this evil, pure evil smile. It was the kind of.

smile that he said. was insinuating, "You really think that. this is going to stop me? Think again.". Ji-hye's parents tried to get Ji-hye to. change up her schedule. You know, don't. fall into a routine. Don't be so. predictable. But she liked her routine. She spent years crafting this routine to. make sure that she could maximize every. single waking second of her day and to. be the most productive human being. alive. At 6:00 a.m., she would quietly. as possible close the front door behind. her while it's still dark outside, and. she never brings her phone or her. wallet. She just runs to the local.

swimming pool, indoor swimming pool. Swimming was kind. of a necessary evil that she fell in. love with. Prior to her daily morning. swims, she would wake up, sit at her. desk, study all day, lay down, go to. sleep, repeat the next day. And after a. few years, her back pain had gotten so. bad she couldn't even focus on studying. They said the best therapy and treatment. for back and waist pain from sitting is. swimming. So, that's why she chose swimming out of. all sports, so that she could strengthen. her back so that she could study harder. And as for why she left the house even.

before the sun came up, I mean, it was. just the most optimal time in her. schedule. It was what she did every. single morning like clockwork until she. vanished. The hunt for missing Ji-hye started a. few hours after she had vanished. Her. parents wasted no time. They rushed to. the pool. They started asking employees, "Have you seen our daughter Ji-hye?" And. they said, "No, she didn't come in. today, which we thought was odd cuz she. comes in every day like clockwork. But. actually, now that you bring it up, there was something odd a few days ago. Someone called us asking specifically.

for Ji-hye, which we thought was weird, and now you're saying that she's. missing.". Because that's very odd. Who calls an. establishment to ask about a patron? Not. even an owner or an employee, a random. guest? They rushed back to the apartment. complex and asked the security guard. there if they had seen Ji-hye since she. left for the pool. And they said, "No, I. haven't. But a few days ago, something. strange did happen, and we didn't. mention it because we didn't think it. was a big deal. But someone came asking, a monk. A monk came asking about Ji-hye, specifically asking to see what time she. went to school and came back, even.

asking if she was home right now." "Do. you remember what else they looked. like?". "No, just a monk." Ji-hye's parents. rushed to the police. They told them. everything, the stalking, the. mother-in-law, the accusations of. incest, the monk. They said, "Please, you have to believe me. My daughter is. not the type of person to run away. You. have to listen to me.". The police did not. They told them, "She's an adult. She. probably got burnt out from school. You're probably putting way too much. pressure on her to be an attorney. So, maybe I mean, we've seen cases like this. all the time. You know, the work. pressure in South Korea, the studying.

pressure, it's too cutthroat. Kids snap. Students break. Nothing new here. Just. wait a few days. Most of the time they. come back.". Ji-hye's dad did not have the patience. to wait. He started passing out flyers. in the neighborhood getting everyone in. town involved. He asked the building. manager of the apartment to give him the. CCTV footage from that day. This was the. first big break in the case. He saw. Chi-yeul walk out of the apartment out. of view for her morning swim session and. behind her you can make out the shadows. of two men following her.

This should be enough to show the police. that she's being stalked, right? They. didn't initially believe him with the. CCTV footage. He said he had to convince the police. officers to do their jobs. He said, "Do you know what it feels like. to go buy chicken and beer for police. officers that don't want to do their. jobs? And you have to put a smile on. your face and give them food and try to. encourage them to work and care about. your daughter." Chi-yeul's dad did most. of the work for them. He asked around if.

anyone had seen Chi-yeul or the figures. in the footage and the milkman. the milk delivery man, he's standing. there staring at the poster and he's. like, "Woah, this is weird." The dad's. like, "Do you remember seeing her?". "No, not her, but you know, there was. this suspicious-looking van that was. parked in front of your side of the. building for a few days before she went. missing and then you're telling me that. she went missing like that day. I. haven't seen that van since." This can't. be a coincidence, right? Chi-yeul's. parents brought the milkman into the. police station as proof and you know,

"Look, we're not going crazy. Clearly. weird things are happening, suspicious. things." And the police said, "Can you. tell us about anyone that was in the van. or the license plate?". No. So, their way of investigating the case. further was to hypnotize the milkman. They didn't really get much helpful. information out of this. The milkman. just told them that he saw two men, one. was skinny and one had pimples. That was it. A little over a week after Chi-yeul's. disappearance, her family got a call. Her body had been found in the mountains.

about 13 miles away from where she. lived. Her body had been placed in a. large garbage bag. Her hands and feet. were tied with string and her face had. been taped up with duct tape. One of her. arms was broken in three places and she. had been shot in the head six times. Four from the front of her face, two to. the back, all close range, so within. about 4 to 8 in. execution style. This was all over the news. In South. Korea, it's incredibly rare to have. homicide victims that die of gunshot. wounds because in Korea per 100 people,

0.2 people own guns. That's almost zero. That's almost nobody. Regular uniformed. police officers don't even have guns. You have to be a detective or high up on. the police ladder. In America to give. you perspective, per 100 people, 120 own. guns. So, I'm assuming that stating that. the people who do own guns own multiple. guns. okay, yeah. Immediately, this case gets. everyone's attention for that reason. because of how rare gunshot wounds are. But, it's quickly explained that she had.

passed from an airsoft gun instead of a. traditional firearm. So, airsoft guns, these are guns that use air pressure. only to shoot out pellets. So, instead. of like gunpowder, it's air pressure. They're way less dangerous than a. regular gun, so think somewhere in the. line of BB guns, pellet guns, airsoft. guns. They're less dangerous, but that. close, they can still be very fatal. Wow. It's suggested that Chi-yeul was shot up. close, so they wanted to make sure that. the gun worked and actually killed her.

Now, this was going to be pretty easy. for the police to find out who did it. There it's hard to get airsoft guns even. on the black market in South Korea. If. you have an airsoft gun, you have a. license. It's for hunting purposes only. It's like a library in Korea. You go to the police station and you. have to check in your own gun. And they keep it and then you come in. during hunting season and you can take. it out for the day, but you have to. bring it back in when you're done. And. they check it back in. So, when Chi-yeul's parents went to ID. her at the morgue, they said, "We're.

going to get this person. We're going to. track down this gun and we're going to. track down who did this to their. daughter." And they said that one of her. eyes had fluttered open when she was in. the morgue. They felt it. It was a sign that she was. telling them, "I can't rest until you. get me justice.". Chi-yeul's dad remembers leaning in and. closing both of her eyes and whispering, "Close your eyes and rest. Leave the. rest up to me and I will make sure that. you receive justice till my very last. breath.". It was a very hard promise to make. The. perpetrators fled to Vietnam and then to.

China. It took Interpol, Chi-yeul's dad, cooperation with international police. officers, even local Korean communities. in these countries to track down the. perpetrators. Chi-yeul's dad kept. getting calls every day telling him how. someone had just spotted the killers. eating breakfast at a restaurant. Another caller said, "You know, these. suspicious Korean men that resembled the. missing person's posters that you're. showing us." Because like I said, it was. very easy for the police to track down. who owned the airsoft gun that killed. Chi-yeul. So, they have the identity of. these two men, but they're nowhere to be. found. They're going to all these different.

countries asking around and it was just. frustrating to constantly hear that they. were just out of reach by the time that. authorities or Chi-yeul's dad himself. would show up, they were gone. So, they're all over the place, like. different countries running. Yeah, so even though there were 25 PIs. working on it, only two of them would be. persons of interest and suspects because. they were the two that actually killed. her. The other ones, they weren't. necessarily guilty. All they did was. track. did this? Well, they're not private investigators.

They're just like They're shady people. Got it. They're hired hitmen, basically. It took a full year for the perpetrators. to get arrested, a full year. Once those two hitmen of sorts were. arrested, they quickly gave up Mrs. Moon. They're like, "Hey, we have no. interest in killing this random college. student. We clearly did it because we. were getting paid by this woman.".

Mrs. Moon hired one of the best. attorneys in town. And Mrs. Moon was. very cocky. She looked at the detectives. in the eye and basically said, "So what? I hired some PIs to stalk her. Is that. illegal? I don't think so. If you think. it is, fine. Arrest me for that, but. nothing else. I didn't kill her. You. have no proof. And I'll have you know. that my husband is a very influential. person. Once I get out, we will remember. this forever." To who? To the. detectives. Oh, Now, this is where. it gets really strange. Mrs. Moon's.

legal strategy was unhinged. At first, when people found out who she hired, Chi-yeul's dad along with the community. was very concerned that they would never. get the justice that they wanted. These. were top-tier rankings at matchmaking. companies. This is the level of. professionals we're talking about, top-tier big law firm attorneys in the. whole nation. They had power, they had. connections, they were willing to play. dirty, they had resources. Chi-yeul's. dad was so convinced that the attorneys, because you know, in Korea there is. saying that money buys freedom, you.

know? I'm sure it exists in the US and. everywhere in this world. The more money. you have, the easier it might be to. evade the justice system. Evade consequences. So, Chi-yeul's dad, he said that he. started practicing. He wanted to prepare. himself for the sentence to be read out. as non-guilty and that she would get no. time. So, he would stand on the furthest side. of his living room, grab pens and. chopsticks, fling them at the wall 12 ft. away. And he was trying to fling it so hard it. would penetrate deeply enough into the.

wall that if it were a human brain, it. would kill the person. He thought the. attorneys are going to get her that not. guilty verdict, so I'm going to kill her. on the spot with a ballpoint pen through. the eye. He didn't care if he had to go. to jail for the rest of his life to do. it. This is what he had to do. But, every day in court, he started. rethinking his strategy. It was just odd. Mrs. Moon was putting. on a scene. She was yelling at her. attorneys in front of everyone. She was. yelling at the judge presiding over the. case. She was provoking the prosecutors, pissing them off, hurling insults at.

them, which she. That is in lawyer world, you don't do. that. Even if you think the prosecutors. are dumb, you are the defense, you do. not make it known that you think they're. dumb. That's not going to help you get a plea. deal. That's not going to help you get. less time. Just She's just that cocky? Yes. She. would speak out of turn in the. courtroom, which is a big no-no. She. would smirk and say things like, "Your. honor, that guy over there, he's writing. novels, fiction, stories, it's lies.". She was sitting there smirking the whole.

time. It felt like watching a bad movie. of like a supervillain trope. Lawyers. who were fascinated by the case. commented that they had no idea what was. going on in that courtroom. It was. puzzling. Like top attorneys would drop. the ball this hard. You had to wonder if. there was an ulterior motive. Mrs. Moon's attorneys would put her up on the. stand and ask her questions about the. crime and her {quote} not involvement, but they would ask her questions that. would get her riled up. It's like they. were poking the bear. She would have. these big emotional outbursts in court, which just made her look unhinged,

unhinged enough to kill her family. member. I have a question. Yes. At the beginning of the story, you. mentioned that the husband tried to. save 22K? Yes. And this is how this. whole case evolved? I Where Yes. So, basically, Madame Do had planted all the. seeds with the anonymous phone calls. with Mrs. Moon saying that Hyun was. cheating. She planted the seeds? Planted the seed and then walked away. Now, had Would this murder have happened.

without Madame Do planting the seed? We. don't know. How do we know that she. planted the seeds? We know that she. sent anonymous phone calls. to break them up. So, Madame Do did not get paid $22,000. by the groom's side and she thought that. Mrs. Moon was heavily involved. I'm sure. she could pick up the signs. This is an. overly emotional, overly involved. mother. She's the one that facilitated. this marriage. So, she had someone call. with no caller ID to Mrs. Moon and say, "Hey, your son-in-law is cheating. Your. son-in-law is cheating." And I think the.

intention on Madame Do's side was just. to get them to break up or just even. cause some discomfort in the family. because she felt like she was wronged. So, why should they all live happily. ever after? Mhm. She started the phone calls, eventually. stopped calling because they moved on, but Mrs. Moon was like a dog barking up. a tree. I don't know if she would have gotten to. the same conclusion without those. anonymous phone calls. I don't know if. it only accelerated or egged her on or. if things would have played out.

differently. We have no idea. But in court, Mrs. Moon had no respect. for the court. She just had this smug. confidence that you just honestly wanted. to smack off her face, no offense. And. there's a speculation of why the. attorneys failed Mrs. Moon's legal. defense so badly. Can you guess? Why what? Why the attorneys would drop the ball so. badly to the point where. not even top-dog attorneys are looking. at this like, "Why are they doing that?". The attorneys are almost poking the. bear. They're almost making her look.

worse. Right. So, that's a strategy, right? Make her seem a little crazy? Or is it. because they're getting paid not by Mrs. Moon, but by Mr. Moon. He was the one. footing the bill. What? Technically, they're his lawyers. And. it's likely that he wanted to get rid of. his crazy murderous wife who would. probably come for his alleged mistress. now. Wait, this is a theory, right? alleged. But is the lawyer paid by the husband or. the wife? It seems like paid by the husband. So, even though technically they're married.

and it's hard to argue which bank. account, if they're even separate, he's. the one with the power and influence. Mhm. He's the one that they'll probably. continue to do business with. That's crazy. That's a very popular. theory. I mean, I think it's like the. main theory because people just could. not understand why these top-dog. attorneys are doing this. It was that. bizarre of behavior that not even a. single attorney watching it could be. like, "Oh, maybe they're doing some. advanced strategy here.". It was just odd. During the trial, the. hitmen's testimonies were used against.

Mrs. Moon. One of them was her nephew. Yeah, one of them was her nephew that. was employed as her chauffeur. I guess. she's fond of the idea of keeping. everything in the family, even murder. And the other man was a loan shark that. her nephew introduced her to. They said. that Mrs. Moon just kept pressuring. them, ordering them, "Following her is. not enough, okay? Just get rid of her. now." They tried to calm her down cuz. they were scared. They said, "You know, we can't just go around killing a. college student. How suspicious would. that be? She has no enemies. The whole. town would freak out. The whole nation.

would freak out. She's a law student at. a prestigious college. Can you imagine. the fear, the outrage if she just. vanishes and dies?". They tried to suggest a different idea. "What if we do something that will get. her out of the picture without directly. targeting her? What would make her cut off the affair. with her cousin? Maybe something. traumatic needs to happen. Maybe her dad. needs to die." Chia's dad remembers a. new potential business partner entering. into his life around that time. He. introduced himself as an investor who. had businesses worth $4 million. and that he was looking into partnering.

with new people. He said that anything. that you're interested in, we can check. it out. Chia's dad said it didn't feel. like a scam or anything, but it just it. was weird. There was something odd about. him. Every business opportunity required. a ton of travel. It's always, "Hey, there's a new clothing warehouse in. Incheon that's hours and hours away. Like, do you want to come and check it. out with me? The tuna business is going really well. We should fly to Japan to check it out. I have a new idea, but the manufacturers. are in China. Do you want to go and. check it out?". Chia's dad never went with him and thus.

they never had the opportunity to kill. him. That's when they decided, "Let's. just kill Chia head to get it over with. because they said it felt like Mrs. Moon. would stop at nothing.". Chia's dad would later say that he feels. very guilty. He even cried to the judge. and said, "Your honor, if only I could, I would gladly give up my life just to. make sure that these monsters lose. theirs now.". He said that Chia was the reason their. family was so close. Anytime family. members would get frustrated or upset. with each other or start fighting, Chia. would sit them down and try to get each. other to see everybody's side. And by.

the end of that conversation, it was. very hard for them to still be upset. She was the person that reminded. everyone, even when emotions were high, that they're all on the same side. We're. all on the same team. We just all want. the best for the family. Chia would take breaks from studying to. knock on her parents' door and she would. sit on the edge of the bed and massage. her mom's feet and tell her about what. she's been reading. Then she would hop up and finish her. nightly routine where she would grab. these probiotic drinks for everyone in. the family. She would go room by room. handing them out. And her dad says he.

remembers his very last words to her. were, "Thanks, honey. Leave it on the. table for me.". He said if he had known that that would. be the last time he saw his daughter, he. would have looked at her longer, memorized every little detail on her. face. But now she's gone and Mrs. Moon is. sitting in front of the judge screaming. about how unjust this whole situation. is. He had to listen to her and the. perpetrators go in depth about how they. stalked Chia that morning, how it was so. inconvenient that there was an old lady. selling yogurt on the street. They had.

to wait for her to pass. They described. in great detail how Chia told them that. her parents could pay a ransom of. $700,000, but they didn't care. Even though. technically this is more money than what. Mrs. Moon was offering them, they felt. like Chia would probably either A, get. them arrested or B, even if they took. the money, Mrs. Moon is so powerful, she'd probably have them killed. They took her out to the mountains, pointed a gun to her head, forced her to. kneel down, tied her up, taped up her. head, and then they oddly started. hauling her up the mountain, or at least. they attempted to, but they kept.

dropping her. It's suspected that this. is where she broke her arm in three. places. They kept dropping her really. hard. Eventually, they gave up, dropped her on. the ground, and shot her in the head six. times. They rushed to a local payphone, dialed Mrs. Moon, and stated, {quote}. "The product has been sold.". That was their code for she has been. killed. They went and grabbed breakfast. Yeah, cuz I guess they can stomach food right. now. And then headed straight to the. Incheon Airport to flee to Vietnam. In the end, Mrs. Moon and the two hitmen.

that carried out the murder received. life imprisonment. Mrs. Moon would be. locked away so that she could never hurt. another soul again. Until 2 years later, she's basically. free. What? Mrs. Moon was released under a. suspended sentence because of health. reasons. She wasn't technically free, but she was hospitalized instead of. being in a jail. And for whatever. reason, the hospital that was treating. her, they treated her like any other. patient. She would be in and out as she. pleased. Sometimes not even coming back. to the hospital to sleep at night. This. all despite the fact that she only got.

this suspended sentence status because. she and her doctors claimed that being. in prison would be forfeiting her life. because of how bad her health was. So, if it's that bad, she should just be. bed-bound needing round-the-clock care, no? Yeah. Chia's dad did some. investigating. First, Mrs. Moon is. living it up in an expensive VIP suite. at the hospital. Even non-murderers, non-criminals, they never get to see. rooms like this in hospitals. This is. for the upper elites only. Chia's dad. somehow tracked down her medical records. and it stated a whole list of health.

complications and reasons. She had. breast cancer in her left breast, Parkinson's syndrome, severe diabetes, asthma, depression, insomnia, cataracts. Which, fine, it does sound serious, but. Chia's dad took this full medical. report, gave it to a panel of. independent doctors who have nothing to. do with him, nothing to do with Mrs. Moon, nothing to do with the case, and. asked them if any of this makes sense. They said, "Something's odd. First of. all, Mrs. Moon was diagnosed with stage. one breast cancer years ago. She had. undergone chemo and took the appropriate. medical steps to eliminate the cancer.

And according to the charts, she's. technically cancer-free now.". Just because you've had cancer once in. your life does not mean that you can. never be in prison or else you'll die. With Parkinson's, if you guys knew. anybody who had Parkinson's, my. grandfather had it. It's an incurable. disease that I mean, it just makes. existing very difficult. It's hard to. sit up, get up, walk, even eat. It's. incredibly noticeable especially when it. gets to the point of being bad. It's not. something that you can easily hide from. people if that makes sense. But on Mrs.

Moon's charts, it literally reads, "The. current evidence of Parkinson's disease. is insufficient. The patient is stating. she has Parkinson's. The patient is. strongly hoping to maintain her current. medication for it.". The reason that I bring up the fact that. it's very obvious to see if someone has. Parkinson's typically is the medical. chart also notes that she eats and chews. well. So, does she have Parkinson's? Does she. not? They're diagnosing her with. Parkinson's, but there's no evidence to. back up that she has Parkinson's. And. then they wrote, "She can't be in prison. because she has Parkinson's and needs.

full caregiving assistance." At another. point, her medical records read that. Mrs. Moon cannot eat without the help of. an assistant. But then somewhere else in. the medical record, they're like, "She's. eating well.". Why is she being let out the hospital? Like, what's going on? As for diabetes, she's fine. She does not need. administration of insulin. Her asthma, the medical records even state it's more. like coughing fits, not necessarily. asthma. As for the cataracts portion, she did have surgery in one eye and is. considered to have normal pressure and. stable condition in both eyes now. And this is the wild part, but the. medical records heavily emphasized her.

depression. As if that's a reason to be. out of jail. I'm sorry, but jail really. isn't a fun, happy place. You know, you. killed someone. I would imagine it's not going to be. like sunshine and rainbows in there. In. her medical charts, there's a quote from. Mrs. Moon to her psychiatrist. Which by. the way, just to preface, I'm not saying. that prisons should not be reformed. I. think that there's a lot that we can do. for the mental health of prisoners so. that we can rehabilitate them. You know, she did not have severe depression. She had like moderate depression and.

just listen to what she says to her. psychiatrist. She said, and this is in. the medical chart, "I ordered the girl. to be followed. I never ordered her to. be killed and I still got a life. sentence. After this, I have no hope in. the system or people anymore. I was so. shocked, I developed severe depression. It's so unfair that I've been sentenced. to life. I just want to die. I just want. to be treated in a stable environment. and recover my health. And you know, this is just this is wrong." The. psychiatrist wrote down, "At the age of.

67 and an inherently weak constitution, the stress of the life in prisoner ought. to directly affect the shortening of a. patient's life. So, I believe the. patient cannot handle imprisonment. All. the other doctors who reviewed her. patient charts anonymously, they all. unanimously stated, it just doesn't make. sense. When reporters tried to track. down the doctors who diagnosed Mrs. Moon. with all these different ailments and. conditions, they were threatened. These. doctors just straight up said, "Yeah, I'm going to sue you." I'm going to sue. you for talking to me. Mhm. But, if you. follow the money, you get a sense of why.

Moon wanted to be at this specific. hospital because she requested this. hospital. The hospital was exposed for some. really, really shady stuff. That. she can request hospital, she can. request this, like she can do whatever. It's actually a. big conversation in Korea. So, it's kind. of the opposite. Here, the conversation. is usually prison conditions are so. deplorable, right? Uh-huh. In Korea, people are like, "Wow, the prison conditions most most of them. live better. Like, they're living better.

than most citizens. They're getting. nutritious, free meals three times a. day. You know? That's the conversation. Wow. I mean, there of course is prison reform. conversations, but this is a. conversation that I see popping up more. frequently amongst like general. K-netizens. Wow. Again, not to say that. there is no abuse or deplorable things. happening in Korean prisons, but the. viral picture of prison food that went. crazy on the internet, the food was. good. In Korea? Yeah, they're like, "This is. so unfair. Like, we don't even get.

access to this type of nutritious. meals." Mhm. I just think the fact that she can. request hospital is Yeah. something. else. Yeah, she requested I think there. were 28 other hospitals closer to the. prison, but she requested this one. specifically. Yeah, this hospital, they had a process. of making money that didn't involve. treating people. They would go out and start building. rapport with the local unhoused. population. They would buy them meals, cigarettes, and ask about their. families. And then one day, casually, as. if this was just a new idea that popped. into the nurses' heads, "Hey, you you.

you know you could get money from the. government if you're a patient at our. hospital, right?". They would lure them into the hospital, lead them to a windowless room called. the stable room. They were thrown onto a. bed and their arms and feet were tied up. towards the ceiling. So, they're able to. lay on their back, but all their limbs. are raised above their chest. They would. keep them like this for a full week. because this position, all the blood is. pumping towards the chest, and it puts a. lot of strain on the heart. No. After a. week of this, what do you know? They do.

some scans and the person's heart is. weak. It's not looking too good. It. looks like they have a heart condition. They need to be kept in the hospital. longer. And because they're unhoused, the government must pay for it, straight. into the hospital's pockets. Hundreds of people were hospitalized. like this just based off this torture. room tactic. They were earning like. seven figures a year, the hospital, from. the government. That is crazy. People died from this. And no this is not like a huge thing.

that people talk about? Because it was a huge thing after it was. exposed. People didn't know because they. would target unhoused populations, and. they would specifically ask if they had. family. And if they didn't, that's when. they were brought in. So, with no family. around, they're vulnerable already. People didn't even notice that they were. missing. Everything was just swept under the rug. But now, the hospital was shut down and. Mrs. Moon was thrown back into prison, where she made several complaints. She. stated she argued with her two cellmates. too much. They didn't see eye to eye. She felt like it would be best for her.

if she didn't have to coexist with. others. She said, "I don't think we are. the same level of humans, my cellmates. and I, but I treat them with sympathy. Please stop putting people who worked in. the sex industry in my room.". She demanded a private room. She stated because of a herniated. cervical disc, she would unfortunately. not, you know, with a heavy heart, not. be able to participate in the cleaning. or laundry of her cell that was required. by all inmates. Anytime she came down with the tiny. little cough or flu, she demanded to. have a full body scan done, quote, "from.

the tip of her toes to the top of her. head, all on taxpayer dime.". She kept rejecting food that was given. to her because it, quote, "had a weird. smell." She stated she could not drink. water from plastic cups since she was a. cancer patient and plastic cups had. endocrine-disrupting chemicals. She also requested only drinking. vitamin-fused mineral water. She also wrote, "Here, they don't have. the bed that props you up like they do. in the hospital. There's no humidifier, so it's very hard for me. I think I need.

to go to the hospital for a month. Please report this to the head office.". She acted like she was a guest at the. Four Seasons and not in prison for. murder.

Ultimately, the case did result in a lot. of divorces. Mr. Moon ended up divorcing. his wife while she was in prison. The. Moon daughter and the judge, Hyun, they. got a divorce. And even Chia's parents. broke up after Chia's murder. They were just coping differently. Chia's dad had thrown himself into the. case trying to catch the perpetrators, trying to make them go down for the. murder. But, once it was all over, the. stress hit him like a brick. He started. developing PTSD. He couldn't be outside. near strangers. He had this high-pitched. buzzing in his ear that would give him a.

severe headache, like a radio frequency, but it would never go away. His doctors. told him that it was a cause of severe. stress. There was nothing they could do. He tried to bond with his wife, but at. the same time, Chia's mom, she was so. miserable. All she did was numb the pain. by drinking all day. And she would. excitedly talk about Chia. as if Chia was still alive. She only ever talked about her in the. present tense, and that was really hard. for Chia's dad. Chia's room and things were kept exactly. the same even 11 years after the murder.

Chia's mom was hoarding anything and. everything that once belonged to her, even tissues. For her, it was. comforting. For Chia's dad, it was. terrifying to open the door and see. Chia's room exactly the way she left it. when she went out for a swim. They. hadn't even moved after Chia's passing. So, Chia's mom was intentionally setting. up the room like this. To her, this is. how she would remember her daughter. Ultimately, she ended up passing away 13. years later. In a letter Chia's mom wrote, "I want to. touch your pretty face, Chia. I want to. feed you tasty things. I want to buy you.

pretty clothes. But, why is it that even. in my dreams, you do not appear? I miss you so much. Mom is having a hard. time.". Chia's mom is said to have died of a. broken heart and starving. She had. completely lost her appetite after. losing her daughter and survived mainly. on alcohol. She was 83 lb when she. passed. Now, Chia's dad has been diagnosed with. cancer, but he said it's a relief. He. said, "I wasn't able to protect my wife.

nor my daughter, so this is my. punishment. And in some way, it feels. relieving.". Chia once wrote a poem for her mom, and. it read, "Mother, there is love at your. fingertips. I'm only part of you who got. life from the spirit of those. fingertips. Mother, I miss your arms. like this as a tree trunk that has grown. thick in your arms for a long time. The stars in the sky shine exceptionally. brightly looking at me as if they know. your heart.". And it ends with "Omoney Omoney", which.

is mother mother. And that is the story of Chia. What are your thoughts on this case? I. mean, it was just. I genuinely I mean, it's so terrifying. I think cases like this, it's stranger than fiction. That's what. a lot of people will say to. I guess real-life happenings that unfold. in this kind of bizarre, unhinged. manner. But, I think it's terrifying to. know that there are such unhinged, unreasonable, unpredictable people out. there that are filled with so much evil.

They're not even filled with good. So, you just never know what they're. thinking or trying to do to others. So, please stay safe, and I will see you guys on Sunday for. the mini sode. Bye.