Two Sisters Dead After Twelve K-Drama Directors’ Sexual Assault & Torture

Barbie and Barbie. I have a question for you. It's kind of. like the trolley question. Let's say. that a person is stabbed with a very. long knife, like a 15-in knife. I mean, it's clear from the get-go that if this. person doesn't get medical attention. immediately, they're going to die from. their injuries. It's that long of a. knife. So, they get rushed to the. hospital. But, at this hospital, the. doctor that's supposed to save their. lives puts them on the operating table, yanks out their knife without a care in.

the world, and just watches them bleed. out. Whispers in the patient's ear, "Walk it off. You'll be fine.". If that person on the table ends up. dying, who do you think is the killer? The person that stabbed them, or the. doctor that did everything to make sure. that they did not survive? Or both? Mhm. Has it happened? That's kind of wild. Basically, it happens in this case. Not.

um you'll see. It's not the same series. of events, but you can you can see the. clear killer. You can see the doctor. You can see everyone in this one. The police had given Sora's mom a very. strange request. Imagine the police call you and they're. like, "Hey, I need you to go to the. store and buy me a box of crayons for. the investigation.". You're like, "Okay, that's really weird. But, if it's going to help with the. investigation, obviously, you're going. to do it, right?" So, Sora's mom goes to. the store, and she's picking up a box.

with the most color of crayons, like the. most variety of colors, for her. 30-year-old daughter who is with the. investigators right now. She's thinking, "Okay, maybe this is. going to be the end. They're going to. ask for this one more thing, and. everything will blow over, and I can. have my daughter back." Her daughter had. been through enough. Sora had gotten out. of the psych ward at the hospital. recently, and hopefully, when all of. this is over, she would be on the path. to healing. So, she brings this little box of. crayons to the police station, and she.

watches as the investigator rips them. from her hands, throws them on the desk. in front of her daughter's Hoda. Here, take these. and draw it. Excuse me? He threw her a sheet of A4 paper and a. ruler. You're saying he assaulted you. He's. saying he didn't assault you. You have. no proof, so prove it. Draw his private. parts. No freaking way. If you can draw it identically to his. real-life private parts, we'll. investigate him further. So, make sure. you get it perfect though in terms of.

length and in width in millimeters. We. want it precise. Oh, and the color. Your mom brought you. some crayons. So, if this truly happened. to you, you should be able to draw it. from memory. Unless you're lying about it. You're being for real? This This. I'm being for real. This is what police said? In South Korea, yeah. Yeah. Sora is kind of glancing around the. station, the same exact reaction as us, I'm sure. I'm I'm sorry. More visceral, I'm sure, but in the. in the sense of like, okay, is someone. going to pop out and be like, "Just.

kidding. We're going to put them in jail. for what they did. Don't worry." Is this. some sort of sick joke? Nobody popped out. Sora would end up. grabbing those crayons despite. retraumatizing herself to the torture. that she endured for the past 3 months. And she thought, "If I just do this one. thing, the police are going to take me. seriously. They're going to know that. I'm not lying, right?". Instead, what happened was when she was. done drawing, another detective came up. to her and said, "Hey, take off your. hat. I want to see the face of the girl.

who slept with 12 people.". She was assaulted by 12 people. Another officer said to her, "You were. assaulted by 12 people? Well, you look. strong. Why are you acting like that. over 12 people? Did you love them at. least? I mean, can you say it wasn't. bad? Like, was it at least a little. good? Some girls are out there making. really good money by sleeping with like. 30 to 40 clients a day. So, I mean, it's. just 12. It's. like the world's not over. They even. said, "You know that supermarket family, the family that owns the supermarket.

down the street? Their daughter was also. SA'd. But look at her. She got over it. It was just like a passing storm for. her. She's living well with her family. I mean, you just need to You need to. work on getting better and getting used. to society.". After walking out of the police station. with her mom, Sora would bolt. She ran. and threw herself into oncoming traffic. at the busy intersection right in front. of the police station. She wanted to die in front of the police. station who refused to take her.

seriously. She wanted the world to know. what happened her. The police refused to investigate the. Korean entertainment industry. 12 male casting directors on the set of. famous K-dramas had harassed and SA'd. her. They, quote, "passed her around" as. if she was some sort of object that they. had power and control over. They humiliated her, threatened to. assault her with broken glass bottles, burned cigarettes on her face, and set. her house on fire.

By the end of this case, Sora will die. Her little sister will die. And their father will die. And the perpetrators are still working. in the Korean entertainment industry.

As always, full show notes are available. at rottenmangopodcast.com. Um. it's a very weird time to bring this up, but I do want to briefly mention that I. am very grateful for the people that we. work with on the Rotten Mango team. I. mean, the amount of passion and. dedication that they approach just every. single case and every single story with.

is incredible, and I feel so lucky to. have this team, and we're still growing. and learning every day, but for today's. case, one of our researchers who's based. in Korea was actually able to connect. with the victim's mother. They met in person. They shared a cake. together. We didn't want to push her to. talk to us about anything in particular. Our researcher didn't show up with a. list of questions. We just wanted her to. feel comfortable, and I think even just. for one of us to be in her presence and. to.

see the pain that she very bravely. carries around with her, and just to get. further insight on what her fight for. justice has been like, it's given us a. profound understanding of this case, and. yeah. So, her name is Mrs. Chung, but. we're going to call her Mrs. Yang. because they're the Yang family, and I. want it to be a little bit easier to. understand, but please leave some. supportive comments as we're going to be. translating a lot of the comments into. Korean for her to get some strength from. you guys. I just wanted her to know that.

we're thinking of her all the way in. America. Oh, also, she has a YouTube channel. where she posts updates on the case. Wow. Yeah, and she's a one-man show. She does. one-woman protest. She runs her YouTube. channel by herself. I'm going to link. that in the description, so please go. show your support there, too. I think it. would mean the world. So, with that being said, let's get into. it. The morning of August 28th, 2009, Mrs. Yang, So Hee's mom, and Sora, they were.

touring homes for the family. So, it was. going to be Mr. and Mrs. Yang, Sora, and. her little sister, So Jung. Sora was no. longer working on the sets of K-dramas. It It's It's something that they would. ever bring up in the house, though. And. Mrs. Yang was just really proud of her. for this new direction that she was. going in. She was working on getting her. real estate license while working at. this fried chicken shop on the side. At. home, she would make these rings and. these pins. She earned her bead crafts. license and sold her little pieces at. little markets. She even had her nail.

art certificate. So, it's a lot of different avenues of. passions, yeah, but Mrs. Yang was in no. rush to tell Sora like, "Pick one, you. know?" She wasn't thinking, "You got to. pick a career." She just wanted her. little daughter, Sora, to be happy. She had come such a long way. After looking at houses, Sora and her. mom, they're grabbing this quick bite to. eat. So, here is Sora putting food on her. mom's spoon, urging her like, "Eat, eat,

Omma." Making sure that her mom is. getting a variety of all the side. dishes, of all the greens, of all the. nutrients. And it used to be the other. way around. Mrs. Yang used to be the one. that was always sure that Sora was. eating, even preparing all of her. favorite foods to try and get her to. take another bite. Probably the most vivid memory that Mrs. Yang had was. like 3, 4 years ago, she was so excited. to see Sora that day. She wanted to. bring her all of her favorite dishes.

So, she woke up early in the morning, went to the market, picked out the. freshest fruits. She inspected every. single berry to make sure none of them. were bruised or smashed or squashed. She. picked the apples and she knows which. ones are going to be crisp and sweet. Like, after 30 years of being a mom, she's a professional at this. Then, she. rushes to a few local bakeries asking, "Do you have fresh batches of this. bread?" It was Sora's favorite. And lastly, she timed everything. perfectly. She was going to see Sora at, let's say, 1:00 p.m. She found a chicken. shop nearby. She was going to go and.

pick up the fried chicken at 12:45 p.m. So, by the time that she rushes to Sora, the chicken would still be crispy and. hot. And Mrs. Yang remembers setting out. all the food on the table. Hurry, hurry, eat while it's still hot. Come on, it's. your favorite chicken. Here, eat the. wing, it's your favorite. And she's. putting food onto Sora's plate. And Sora was just picking at it. In her hospital gown. The ones that they give all the psych. ward patients. And Mrs. Yang is just sitting there. anxiously waiting for her to say.

something, anything. Sora looks at her and says, "Mom, I think I was raped.". Mrs. Yang is like, "Okay, let me fight. this memory out of my head." It is not. something she wants to think about. anymore. She wants to focus on Sora. being healthy. I mean, it's been 4 years. since that fateful day, and Sora has. been getting better, right? And they're looking at houses, they're. going out to lunch together, and then. snap. After looking at houses together and.

grabbing a quick bite, as they're. walking down the street, Mrs. Yang's. slipper strap snapped. Like her little. flip-flop snapped. And there was just something about that. day. It felt like some sort of bad omen. And so Mrs. Yang grabs Sora's hand, starts dragging her broken slipper. across the pavement, half walking, half. sliding to the nearest shoe store. And. she looks at her daughter and says, "National treasure." That's her nickname. for her. "Let's make it a shopping trip. Okay, let's both pick out a pair of. shoes while we're there. So, you pick a. cute pair, and I'll pick a cute pair.".

Mrs. Yang chose a pair of yellow. slippers. Sora chose silver ones that. were very sparkly. And as they're. checking out, Sora looked at her mom and. said, "Mom, if I don't wear these, are they your. style? Would you ever wear these?". Sora's mom thought it's kind of an odd. question to ask. Like, "Honey, we have very different feet. sizes. How could I wear your slippers?". "Okay.". After buying the new shoes, Sora told. her mom, "I just need to run by the. house real quick and feed the dog.".

Mrs. Yang had a few other errands to run. first, so she says, "Okay, be safe." And. she watched her daughter walk off. Sora would never wear the silver shoes. She walked directly home and jumped from. the 18th floor of their apartment. building in Seoul. She left a note that read, "I was their. sexual toy. Death is the only way to. live.". When Sora's mom heard of her eldest. daughter's death, she was so shocked she.

didn't even cry. She felt like she was. in a trance. She wasn't even in her own body. I mean, the first night in the house without. Sora, Mrs. Yang just stared at the. silver shoes that she would never get to. wear, and she thought to herself, "I. should have felt something was strange. when my shoe strap broke.". And she blamed herself. She said, "Why. didn't I know? Why didn't I know. anything, even though she's my. daughter?". In Korea, there are some gifts that are. avoided for superstitious reasons. I was. always taught by my parents that when I.

give someone a watch, they have to at. least give me a dollar, because now it's. no longer a gift and it's an exchange of. goods. Because a gift of a watch or a. symbol of time is a very bad luck. It's. like I'm telling the person I'm gifting. it to. So, in Chinese. Yes. gift a watch is song zhong. It It. pronounced exactly like uh seeing. someone's death. Like someone died, you. take them to. Witness. song zhong, like through the whole. process of that. That's why the words. are they pronounce exactly the same.

That's why you can't give that. Wow. Okay. So, I was always taught by my. parents, it's like you're giving a. symbol of like your time is running out. Mhm. It's a like a reminder, right? Um when I. gifted my parents all watches for their. 60th birthday, they both wired me like a. dollar, cuz I was in LA. And you're not. supposed to gift empty wallets. So, if. you want to buy your girlfriend a. wallet, you have to put at least a. dollar or five dollars in there, because. if you give someone an empty wallet, you're wishing them a future of. emptiness financially.

And shoes, if you gift someone shoes, it's also customary for them to give you. a dollar because shoes represent the end. of a relationship. Usually in romantic. partnerships, it's a breakup. It means. that you wish the person would walk away. from you. So, Oda's mom felt like she should have. known better. And I think of mother's guilt is so. painful to witness because how can you. tell a mom that it's not their fault? Most moms feel responsible for. everything that happens to their kid. So, yeah. Oda's mom was sitting there.

staring at the silver slippers, wondering of all the ways that she might. have been able to prevent this, not. knowing that 6 days later her youngest. daughter would also be gone. In a single week, she would lose all her. children. As a mom, Mrs. Yang probably spent a. fortune on shoes. She was never really. upset by it, though. So, you know, as. kids age, they outgrow their shoes. We're going through the same thing right. now with our nieces, constantly. outgrowing clothes, shoes. I mean, it. never lasts. They'll get a fresh pair.

for Christmas, and before you know it, their feet have grown so much that you. can't even like force it into the shoe. And it's frustrating cuz my sister is. like, "Man, these shoes are practically. brand new. It's like there there there's. not even wear and tear.". Oda never had that experience. Oda would. be running through town with friends, laps around the playground, up and down. the neighborhood, up and down the. stairs. Her shoes, the soles would be. falling out before her feet even outgrew. them.

And Mrs. Yang never complained. She. loved every single aspect of being a. mom. Like when Oda had turned 100 days old, this is a really big deal in Korean. families. It's called like the peg-il. Mrs. Yang stayed up all night making 100. red bean rice cakes and handing them out. to her neighbors. Nobody really does. this anymore. It's really. time-consuming, and people just think. it's one of those old traditions, right? Back in the day. But it's supposed to be. for good luck. And Mrs. Yang was like, "I'm going to do anything for my kids.".

And I think it works. I mean, it really worked. So, by the. time that Sora is four, she's basically. using all of the big words in Korean. She was even going to an English school, a Hanja Academy, I think is what it's. called. Chinese traditional Chinese words? Yes, the Chinese characters, right? Academies. In kindergarten, she was like. the little librarian of her class. She. would read books to her classmates that. couldn't read yet. After school, she. would take taekwondo lessons, then it. turned into piano lessons. So, like, I.

don't know. Can you really tell me the. rice cakes didn't work? I'm just. kidding. You know, it's it's good. parenting. But Sora was just really a. unique case. Her IQ was tested later to. be 157, which is considered highly highly highly. gifted. Wow. To put it into perspective just how. smart Sora was, one of Sora's teachers. approached Sora's mom one day and said, you know, this teacher is a little bit. of a superstitious lady, which who's not. these days. And she said, "Can I ask for. Sora's exact date and time of birth?

My daughter-in-law is giving birth and. if we can try to plan a C-section for. the exact time that Sora was born, I. would very much like that.". Implying that Sora was developing so. quickly, and this is a teacher who's. seen generations of kids come through. She's like, "There must be something in. the birth charts, something, cuz this is. crazy.". So, as Sora's growing older, she. actually grew more into this very. reserved intellectual type. She would. spend most of her time head buried in a. textbook. She was never late to a single.

class, perfect attendance. Even later in. college when a lot of girls were finally. out of the control of their parents'. homes, you know, they want to like. experiment with the way that they dress, their makeup, their hair. Sora is like, "T-shirt, jeans, let me just get through. my studies.". But back when Sora was four, Mrs. Yang had given birth to Soojung and. she was the opposite of Sora. And I'm. laughing cuz it kind of reminds me of me. and my sister. She could not sit down to. study. She would be dancing all over the.

house, stepping on Sora's homework. I. mean, when she finally burned off all. the energy, she'd knock out. She would. just be dead asleep on the couch. You. could not move her until the very next. morning and she would literally be doing. her homework during breakfast and on the. bus on Sora's back because she just was. not studious. She was like this free. spirit of the family. She wanted to just. explore and she would secretly bring. home stray cats and dogs. Imagine you come home after a long day. of work and you just hear "Meow.".

You're like, "Soojung, what is that? Why. is there a noise coming from your room?". And it would just be like another little. kitten and Mrs. Yang let her keep all of. them. Wow. But the two sisters, they truly could. not have been more different. I mean, just can you imagine how fun their house. must have been? Even like the bickering. of Soojung dancing around and Sora's. trying to focus on her homework and then. there's like five cats in the background. knocking glasses off tables. I feel like. the family never had a boring day with.

the two. Also, Mrs. Yang never called. them by their names. She called them. National Treasure 1 and National. Treasure 2. So in Korea, all the national treasures. they're numbered. So this is a cute. nickname that she gave. So it's like one. and two. And in 2004, after graduating college, Sora's 29 and. her little sister Soojung is 25. So. they're both kind of in this phase of. life where they're thinking, you know, we should experiment with the. possibilities. This is our time before. we really settle into a career. Like.

we're toying with the ideas of what we. want to truly do. Soojung turns to Sora and says something. along the lines of, "Unnie, like we're. both bored, right? Why Why we try this. job together? It's it's a bit far. It's. near Busan, so 4-hour drive, right? But. we can get a place there together and be. extras on all these dramas that are. filming there. There's like 10 of them filming there. right now, and they're all looking for. extras. It'll be fun. We can get our foot in the. door, and if we like it, maybe we can, you know, level up to like a supporting.

role and then go bigger and bigger from. there. I mean, it's just a small gig. If. it doesn't work out, it doesn't work. out, and we just come back home. So, at this point, Sojung had become a. famous idol's backup dancer. So, she's. already kind of in this entertainment. industry, and it seemed like a very. natural suggestion. The two sisters, they packed some of. their clothes, they leave for the very. southern coast of Korea, and Soda. actually got a bit more acting gigs than. Sojung. Since Sojung was still dancing, she had a little bit of conflict in her. schedule. It wasn't very open.

Meanwhile, Soda was like, "Okay, let me. just take this cuz I'm pretty free the. next 3 months." Mrs. Yang didn't really. like being separated from her girls, but. she was really proud and happy for them. She said, "I was proud and arrogant. As proud as any mom in Korea who felt. like they had the whole world.". 3 months later, that world would come crashing down. Soda and Sojung were back home, and. something had changed. It's not even one. of those instances where Mrs. Yang can. sit the girls down and be like, "What's.

going on? Did you guys fight? There's. tension." It wasn't even like that. It. was such a drastic, scary change. Mrs. Yang was lost on how to even handle this. type of situation. It's like Soda had. turned into a completely different. person. The minute she walked in through her. family's home doors, she took off all of her clothes. She was unclothed, pacing around the. house, grabbing a knife and carving the. words die, die, die onto a wooden tray.

Mrs. Yang tried to talk to her, trying. to get her to open up and tell her why. she's behaving this way, but Soda would. cut up furniture. She would ransack the. house. She kept saying, "Someone is. watching me. Someone is watching me.". The family felt like they were in over. their heads. Like, how do they even help. Soda? She will not communicate with. them. They don't want to push her. They. don't want to scare her. They don't want. to stress her out even more. They're. just trying to take it day by day, second by second, but it really was.

unsettling. Mrs. Yang said, "Even though she was my. child, I was scared.". Every morning, the Yang parents and. So-jung, the little sister, they would. wake up feeling this. like anxiety on their chest. They don't. even know what the day had in store for. them. Most days, they would walk out into the. living room and all the furniture was. somehow moved in the middle of the. night. Their couch was now standing on. its side, leaned up against the back. door. Their TV was in the kitchen. These.

are pieces of furniture that would take. multiple people to move, but Soda had. silently moved them in the middle of the. night. Sometimes, they would watch her. obsessively roll up tissues and stick. them into any little crevice or hole in. the house. She kept saying someone was spying on. them with hidden cameras. Someone was. watching them. She was incredibly paranoid. Soda would come out of her room naked. chanting, "I'm going to kill you. I'm. going to kill you.". It's like she was in a trance.

Like she was possessed by someone. I mean, she felt like a stranger to the. family. She would repeat these very. violent words that they had never ever. heard come out of her mouth. Like, she's. not even the type to watch violent. movies or shows. Not saying that there's. a link to like violence in that, but. it's just so startling. Like, this is a. girl that loves to read books and plays. the piano. And now, after 3 months of. acting on K-dramas as an extra, she's. come back and she's having a full. psychological meltdown.

Every single the family used every. second to try and brainstorm of all of. the ways that they could help Sora, but. like is there really a perfect way? Maybe if you're a trained psychiatrist, you would know better, but for the. family, it's a very tricky situation of. if we don't do anything, clearly it's. going to get worse, and Sora is. obviously in some sort of pain for her. to be acting like this. And if we do do. something, it might push her away. further. So, we need to make sure. whatever we do is the right choice.

If we try and take her to a therapist. right now, what if she rebels, runs. away, and we can't even find her? There's nothing we can do. She's 30. The. police aren't going to do anything if. she's a runaway. Sora's behavior would only get more. alarming. She'd be sitting down, staring. at a wall when her phone would ring. She. would get angry and tell her mom, "I. have to go to a shoot. I'm going to go. to a shoot. I have to go.". She would bolt out the door before her. mom can even stop her, before anyone can. stop her, cuz they clearly don't want to.

let her out of the house. And for days, she would be missing, and the family. would try and reach out to her, calling. around, asking if anyone had seen her, trying to get in contact with her, because they're so worried. I mean, there was no way that she was working in. this state. But there was also no way of. finding out where she was. A few days later, she would return in a. state of just complete disarray. Her. hair would be ruffled up, her lipstick. would be smeared. They were so lost. How. is this the same Sora that we knew for.

the past 30 years? 30. Not even like. five. 30 years. Like this is her whole. lifetime, and just she's with a snap of. a finger, a completely different person. And then one day, Sora tried to physically attack her. younger sister, Hojung. All the nurses on that hospital floor. knew who Mrs. Yang was. She had been at the hospital every day. for the past week, every single day. she'd been there. She would walk in, she. would head straight for the steel doors.

of the waiting room, but instead of. pulling on the handle, she would sit. near the doors, tilt her head down, and. silently cry. Sometimes she did this for an hour, sometimes it felt like she was there all. day to the point where when she would. get up, her legs would ache from sitting. in the same position all day. She would. have to grab the wall to support her as. she walked out. She didn't ask the nurses if she could. see her daughter. She knew the rules. For the first week, the hospital focuses.

on stabilizing psychiatric patients. They will not allow any visitors because. they just don't know if the patient is. going to have some sort of reaction to. that person or some sort of reaction to. anything that they say. They're trying. to avoid taking one step forward and. five steps back. But for 7 days, Mrs. Yang sat there. every single day knowing that she would. not be able to see her daughter. She's. not even trying to. But she just wanted to be there in the. only way that she knew how at this. point.

And it was just to show up. I'm sure to a degree she felt some sort. of guilt as a mother for having her. daughter admitted involuntarily to a. psych ward. And I just want to make it. very clear. This is a very serious, very. hard decision for her to make. This is. not her saying, "Oh, I just can't deal. with it anymore, so let me just bring. her to a hospital." This was arguably. the best choice that Mrs. Yang had at. her disposal. She can't bring Sora to a. therapist even if they can force her to. sit through a session. After an hour, what? They all go back home? And.

everyone just hopes that Sora doesn't. run away or doesn't try to kill So-jung. again? Mrs. Yang was just desperate to help. both of her kids. And so when the eighth day came, she went and bought Sora's favorite. chicken and all of her fruits, and all of her favorite bang, her bread, and she anxiously set up in the waiting. room. She spent the entire day getting ready. for this moment. It was in November, so. she was even like hugging the chicken. close to her to keep it warm as she ran. to the hospital.

And she was telling her daughter like. eat eat eat while it's still hot. Moms always say this, but Mrs. Yang. said, "I know it's my kid, but she was so beautiful that day. So so pretty, but also so so sad.". It was like in the waiting room she said. this dark cloud was just hanging. directly over Soda, and it looked like. it was following her around. And she. just wants to like break up the cloud on. top of her, but there's no way she can.

do that. So Soda is just poking around. at her food, and she says, "Mom, yes? I think I was. Mrs. Yang sat completely frozen while. her oldest daughter, her national. treasure number one, cried and told her. the horrible things that 12 men had done. to her. By the time Soda was done sharing her. story, the chicken had gone cold. And Mrs. Yang's heart shattered in a. thousand different sharp jagged pieces.

that felt like they were ripping into. her from the inside. She felt as a mother just pure. unadulterated rage. Through Mrs. Yang's patience and. encouragement, Soda starts to trust the. medical staff. Soda would tell them bits. and pieces of everything that's. happened. She would call her mom. sometimes. Sometimes in the middle of. the night Soda couldn't sleep and she. would ask the nurse for a phone and she. would call her mom and tell her. everything in bits and pieces over the. phone. Mrs. Yang quit her job to be.

there at any given time, any given hour. for her daughter. Whatever her baby needed, she was going. to do it. Mrs. Yang constantly met up with the. doctors in charge of Soda's care. They. informed her that Soda had contracted. chlamydia, which is a bacterial STD. Thankfully, it's treatable and curable, but the part that worried the doctors. was Sora was at a stage where it was. very painful for her because of the. chlamydia. There was pus that was. exiting, and Sora did not register any.

of that pain nor any of that discomfort. It was like she was in a trance. She was out of her body. She could not. feel the pain of her body. So, while chlamydia was an issue that. they're working on, it seemed like the. more worrying problem on hand was she's. showing just extreme symptoms of PTSD. Sora was assaulted, abused, humiliated, and potentially drugged for 3 months by. 12 men.

It wasn't at once. It wasn't a single. event, but it was a consistent schedule. of abuse. She did not speak out because they. threatened to kill her, but more. importantly to Sora, they threatened to. do the same thing to Sora's little. sister and then kill her. In Korea, I'm not sure the exact verbage. for these positions here in the US, but. in Korea, they have something called. extra directors. So, it's not saying. like, oh, this is an extra director, like another additional director, but.

they're like casting directors, but they. don't work with casting the main crew. So, they're not casting the main lead or. the supporting roles, but they more so. focus on casting a bunch of extras. You. know the scenes in the K-dramas where. they're in a coffee shop, they need. people in the background. Or when. they're walking down the street, it. can't be a ghost town. But they also. can't use the same people in all the. shots because what is the population of. this town? Like five people, right? So, they have to organize all of these. different schedules, all of these. different people to appear on set, be. dressed in the same like if the the. drama is set in winter, everyone's got.

to wear winter clothes, they got to know. what positions to take, what kind of. actions to do, and oftentimes, these. extra directors are also in charge of. the minors on set. Not all the time, but I think legally. minors have to report to someone who. knows all the child labor laws and. follows the specific regulations that. the government has set. And for some. reason, it often falls on these. positions. So, these extra directors, they will. often have assistants, supporting. directors underneath them, managers, as. well as production managers that work.

below them. Just for simplicity's sake, we're going to call all of the positions. casting directors. They all have immense. superiority over Soda and the extras on. set. They're like top of the food chain. They have the power to take away jobs. and to create them. So, moving forward, I am just going to. be using the word allegedly. It is in my. personal deep opinion and feeling that. these men are absolutely guilty, but. since there has been no official. conviction, I will be using the word.

allegedly because it seems like these, um, in my personal opinion, nasty scum. of the earth pigs are very, very lawsuit. happy. Yeah. The predators have been named in an. article that I will also link in the. show notes. The series of assaults is said to have. been triggered by a casting director by. the name of E Taek-soo. Now, since he has since changed his name. to E Young-gwang, I'm going to call him. E Young-gwang so that we know his real. name, right? He was working at the World. Casting Net company in 2004. He was.

Soda's director on set for one of these. dramas, and allegedly, he wanted to. impress his boss by committing crimes. And allegedly, he drugged Soda's coffee. and gave, quote, "gave Soda to his boss. as a gift.". I don't know what happened there. I. don't know if the boss was like, "What's. wrong with this kid?" I mean, apparently. not cuz he wasn't fired, or if the boss. did something to Soda, I don't know, but. this seems to have been some sort of. starting point to everything. Because.

after work one day, it seems that the. Lee guy, that director Lee would. initiate a hoesik of sorts. And a. hweshik is when all the managers and the. subordinates they go out to eat and they. primarily drink after work. This is. off-the-clock hours. You do not get paid. for these gatherings. And if you're not. one of the managers, it's literal hell. You have to sit there and laugh at all. their unfunny jokes while you pour their. drinks as if you are not just as. qualified, if not more qualified, to do.

their goddamn jobs better than they can. I feel it's probably the bane of. existence for most working women. If you. go and you do what is asked of you, it. is humiliating, it is degrading, it is. oftentimes dangerous. These managers. will force female subordinates to drink. without concern for their well-being or. safety. I mean, just even the principle. of it is like "Why am I here pouring you. a shot of soju and laughing at your. stupid jokes and complimenting you when. everyone in the office knows that you. are a blethering, power-tripping idiot.

that doesn't know how to do anything. correctly?" And if you don't pour these. egotistical managers their drinks, you. risk the chance of never getting. promoted because now the managers will. tell their superiors that you're quote. difficult to work with and you don't. have the drive or the team spirit. It's alleged that Soda was at one of. these events when she became very, very. drunk. Now, this is where I want to. preface something. I think if anyone. thinks, even for a split second, "Well, why was she so drunk?" I think that. would be a very good moment of. self-reflection and I would like to.

assist in that self-reflection. Firstly, if Soda or anyone that you were out. with, like let's say someone you're out. with, whether it's a work colleague or a. friend, if they're at that drunk, yeah, you could be like, "Maybe they. shouldn't have gotten that drunk." But. the human decency aspect is you just. want to get that person home safely. That's it. That's the only thing you care about in. that moment. You're not thinking, "Why. are they so drunk?" You're like, "Okay, let me make sure that you don't lay on. your back so you don't choke on your own. vomit and let me make sure that no. predator it to you." That's going to be.

the main thing to think about. Secondly, there are allegations and suspicions. that Soda was roofied during these. team-building meetings. Soda was said to have not been much of a. drinker, and when she did drink, she. knew her limits really, really well. Um. I I can kind of resonate with that cuz. you think it would be the other way, like, "Oh, if you. don't drink, you shouldn't know your. limits." But as someone who doesn't. drink often, I'm like, "Okay, I know I'm. okay with like one glass of wine.". And then I'm like, "Everything after. that is a hard limit, you know?" And she. was very, very mindful to never cross.

these boundaries. I don't even think. that she would drink like a full glass. of wine, because it's alleged that after. just one sip of beer, beer, people. started witnessing Soda behaving very. drunk. So, this is not normal. But let's argue that she was never. drugged. Still, one of the main problems. at these so-called team-building events. is that managers will push and shove. drinks down your throat with this. passive-aggressive hint that your job is. on the line if you're not fun and. letting loose with the team.

So, either way, I don't think that we. should blame Soda at all. Ultimately, what I'm trying to say is. that it doesn't matter how drunk Soda. was or wasn't. The night of August 10th, 2004, Soda was. drunk, and at around 2:00 a.m., Director. Lee pulled her into a video room. This is already so shady. Video rooms in. Korea are places where you can rent. these small, tiny rooms that have like a. love seat. It's like a tiny little. couch. You watch DVDs and stuff. It's a. quiet, private room, and it's generally. known as one of these places where. teenagers go to rendezvous, if you will,

since most likely teenagers can't afford. like hourly motels yet. Director Lee threw her on the chair, and. it was clear that she was unable to. resist. He assaulted her. Just 8 days later, he got Soda drunk. again, dragged her to a motel room. Soda. was clearly unable to resist, and he assaulted her. Just 5 days later, he dragged her into. another motel room, strangled her, took.

off her clothes, and this time Soda was. conscious enough to resist. And when I. say resist, I'm like this was. all of it was SA, okay? Soda was conscious enough to resist and. made it clear once more, for the third. time, this is not consensual. She resisted physically and he. threatened her, allegedly saying. something along the lines of, "I will. break this glass soju bottle, cut up. your face with it, and then use it to. assault you. I will put out cigarettes. all over your face unless you listen to. me.".

He assaulted Soda once more. Sometimes even punching her in the face, kicking her in the stomach, and slamming. her up against the walls during the. assaults. It's alleged that director Lee went to. tell his buddies on set what he had. done. Because, you know, what a thing to. be proud of, right? And they all decided, "We're not going to go to the cops with. this. No, we're all going to commit the. same crimes.". Casting director Yang Taek-geum. allegedly locked Soda in an unknown. motel room near the set. He dragged her.

into the bath, sprayed water all over. her mouth and private parts with the. shower head, took off her clothes, later. down assaulted her. He said to her, "If. you don't listen, I'm going to throw you. in my trunk and push you into the Han. River.". Side note, Soda was young enough that. Yang Taek-geum actually went around. telling his friends that she was his. niece and that he was taking her under. his wing in the industry. That's how old he was. It's alleged that he even forced her to. go on a 3-day staycation with him where.

he continued to assault and torture her. for 3 days straight. Then it was claimed that they quote. passed her on to casting director Kim. Sung-mo. He was working as a manager for the. executive department of World Casting. Net company. October 13th of 2004, it's said that Kim. dragged a drunken semi-conscious Soda to. a motel while telling her, "If you don't. follow me, I'm going to kill you.". He locked her in the room, pushed her. down, and threatened to light her pubic. hair on fire. Then he assaulted her, which he.

allegedly bragged about to casting. director Kim Yo-hwan. That's his new name, by the way. He also. changed his name. It used to be Kim. Do-han. He was also married at the time. of the assault, this new casting. director. It's said that he worked as a casting. director and manager at the World. Casting Net company. In October 26, 2004, he got Sora drunk to the point of. being barely conscious, dragged her to a. motel room. She had woken up, and she. tried to run away, but he smacked her in. the face twice and screamed, "How dare. you? You're a rag, bitch.".

A rag is a really nasty word to call. someone. It's supposed to mean that. they're used and slept with by everyone. He continues, "Should I break your leg. for you to listen? If you don't act. right for me, you won't survive. I will. carve out your private parts. Behave. like you did with the other directors.". He assaulted Sora, allegedly, while. forcing her to watch X-rated movies. Each times the assaults lasted several. hours, and it's said that they would. make threats to Sora the entire time. saying things like, "I'm going to kill.

your mother. I will kill your sister. I. will set fire to your house with. everyone in it." Some of them even took. videos and pictures of the assault and. threatened to post them all over the. internet. In a very sick detail, it's. stated that some even threatened to. assault her younger sister while they. were assaulting her. And not even just. that, the mental and emotional torture. and humiliation continued on set. Now, from these actions, nine other useless. pigs were inspired to harass Sora. So,

the casting directors are going around. telling everyone on set what they've. done to her, and they're laughing about. it. And so, nine other predators decide, "Okay, let me try the same thing." They. would grab at her on set, grope her. They would grab her hand, place it on. their private parts. They would spy on. her while she would be changing in the. dressing rooms for other scenes. One of. them even had the audacity to grope her. and said, "You're fat. If you want to. sleep with me, you should starve today. and lose some weight.". I don't even. Another one tried to humiliate her by.

calling her a mop and taunting her that. he knows he heard from everyone about. her hair situation down there. Another one groped her and said, "They. are big, so the rumors are true. I like. them. You should come live with me.". It is the common belief that Sora. descended into a psychological break and. mental break from all of the torture. that she endured in a very short amount. of time, and she met with these people. every single day because she was working. like five different dramas. And when she wasn't being our worded and.

dragged motel rooms, she was being. assaulted on set. Just in the open. Like even just researching makes me sick. to my stomach, so I can't even. Yeah. Sora tried everything that she could, and this is the heartbreaking part. And. I can't help but feel like this intense. amount of like pure female rage because. let me give you a brief timeline of. events. Director Lee assaulted her August 10th, August 18th, August 23rd, September 5th,

September 20th. On September 24th, Sora. met with a therapist. October 6th, she was essayed by Director. Tegum. October 7th, essayed by Director. Kim. On October 8th, Sora met with. another therapist. Then alternating between the predators. Young Tegum, Kim Sun-mo, and Kim Yo-won, it's alleged that Sora was assaulted. October 11th, 13th, 17th, 19th, 24th, 26th, 27th, and then November 7th. On.

November 9th, she would meet with. another therapist. November 18th, she was essayed once. more. And on November 19th and 26th, she. would meet with a therapist again. Her medical staff at the time said in a. recent interview, "I remember Miss Young as a special case. patient who developed her disability due. to excess stress in a short amount of. time.". Now, a lot of people also speculate that. if Sora was drugged heavily during the. span of the past 3 months, that could. have intensely contributed to her her.

psychological breakdown. Side effects of. date rape drugs include memory. impairment, impulsivity, anxiety, depression, stress, paranoia. And I'm. not sure if she was drugged. We can't. say that we have the exact evidence. because you'll see why later, but I can. see that to be cuz it's just so. different from who Sora was for 30. years. Mhm. And I'm just I don't even know the exact. words to describe how Sora's mom felt, but she still held out hope that Sora.

would recover. "It's not going to be. easy. She knows that, but we're going to. do it as a family and the police are. going to get us justice. Sora is going. to sue the perpetrators, make them pay. for what they've done, and closure is. going to be the first step to healing.". In Korea at the time, the laws have. since changed, but in Korea at the time, let's say you're walking down a street. and you witness someone getting SA'd in. broad daylight. You cannot, as an eyewitness, report it. to the police. What? Only the person being SA'd can report to.

the police. Like, what do you mean? Like, I can't. call. police? You can call them, but you can't file a. report. You can't like push into motion. a series of events where the. perpetrator, the R-worder, gets. arrested. The police will be like, "Were. you the one that was SA'd? Okay, then. all we can do is just kind of stand. here.". Huh. The victim has to be like, "Hey, I was. SA'd." Yeah. Um let me tell you the sick. reasoning behind why. It's really bad. So, back in the day, even if there were security cameras or.

eyewitnesses that caught the R-worder. committing the physical, mental, emotional, violent, sadistic act of. rape, unless the victim themselves. doesn't file the charges, law. enforcement does nothing. And according. to some brainless idiots back in the. day, they said, "No one can really know. what happens between a man and a woman. in private.". That's why unless the victim. said, "Hey, I didn't want this." They. won't do anything about it. Yeah. Also, the statute of limitations for. essay was just over 1 year. Like just.

365 days. What? So, Sora's mom helped Sora file a. complaint December of 2004 against 12. officials from the entertainment. industry for sexual assault and forcible. harassment. Now, obviously, the. entertainment company that they all. worked for was alerted of the situation. The vice president, a man, fired the. forecasting directors who was accused of. sexual assault, but he stated, "You. know, I talked to them. Three of the. four accused of sexual assault admitted. to having intercourse, but they denied.

it was assault.". Mrs. Yang comforted Sora telling her, "It's okay. The police are going to look. into it, and once they discover the. truth, they These men, the 12 men, they're going to pay for what they did, and you don't have to feel scared. anymore. You don't have to feel. paranoid. You don't deserve this. You. have rights. You are the one You did. nothing wrong.". Mrs. Yang's only hope comes crashing. down when the police call her. asking her if she's got evidence that. she wants to bring into the station.

That sounds like they care, right? They. They're building a case. They want to. gather the evidence, then they want to. get the perpetrators. But then they. sarcastically added, "What do you need, like three, four trucks. for evidence? We can send you four trucks for you to. fill up.". Oh my god. The investigating officer was obviously. being sarcastic, insinuating, "What kind. of evidence do you have? You're making a. big deal out of nothing. You think your. case is so serious? You think we want to. put our resources to your daughter who. just sleeps around?".

Mrs. Yang ignored it because I mean, she's thinking maybe this this. investigator is weird. Maybe this is how. he talks. I don't know, right? Maybe. he's being genuine. Maybe he's a rookie. and he's like, "No, genuinely I don't. know how many trucks evidence needs, right?" So, still thinking that law. enforcement is going to be on their her. side because I don't know, that's their. freaking job that they get paid to do. She brings in boxes of material, boxes. of evidence, and the detective slams his. hand down on the desk startling Sora's. mom, and he screamed, "Do you think this.

is even a case?". Because of how harshly the investigator. slammed on his desk and started. screaming at Mrs. Yang, everyone in the. police station stared and turned and. just looked. Nobody stepped in to help. Nobody stepped in to be like, "Hey, cop, like get in the back. What's wrong with. you? That's not how we do our jobs." No. one. The other cops were just like, "Oh, okay.". In hindsight, Mrs. Yang would say, "This. was the moment I should have dropped the. investigation. Had I done that, both of.

my daughters would still be alive.". The police discarded most of the. evidence that was turned in by Mrs. Yang. They just threw it away. And understandably, she did not know how. shady they were, so she didn't make. copies of a lot of the evidence. Yeah. The police investigated for. legal? Yeah, I guess. I mean, it's probably one of those. things where it's not legal, but like, what are you going to do? Call the cops. on them, right? And if the government, like the state. officials, don't want to do anything, then.

The police did investigate though. They. investigated for over a year and like. heavy quotes on the word investigated, if you can really even call it that. The. first thing that they did was bring in. the victim and one of the accused. perpetrators, stick them in the same. room without a proper partition. It was. just one of those like plastic. see-through sheets that you see at cash. registers when COVID was really bad. That was what was between them. They. were sitting at the same desk. So, Sota was forced to sit close to a. perpetrator, so close she could hear his.

breathing. And the detective was getting agitated. that he had to actually do his job. He. had to actually work and investigate. because now he's frustrated. The victim. is stating this happened and the. perpetrator, of course, is denying it, of course. And he says, "Here's a ruler, here's some crayons, draw his private. parts. We want it in exact millimeters.". And he says, "We want the exact shade or. we're not going to believe you.". I don't think I have to voice everything. wrong with this, but it's just.

ridiculous. Even if they are being. serious, which I personally think that. they're a thousand percent trying to. humiliate and ridicule and traumatize. Sota further. But even if they're being serious, it's. just dumb. I don't know what else to. say. It's cruel and dumb. Even. professional artists have references. I. mean, as someone who's been with the. same partner, and Mrs. Yang brings this. up, like married couples, they can't. even do this at gunpoint. Like, you would I would utterly fail. I. would utterly fail. I don't know. Like, millimeters, exact Like, what are you.

saying? And this is the most traumatic. moment of your life. You're trying. everything to block it out. Your brain. is trying to protect you, and this is. what the officer is telling you to do? Like, yeah, that would drive anyone. crazy. In another interview, if you can even. call it that, investigators told Sota. she's "taseopda". So, this is interpreted in two ways. If. we were walking down the street and a. bird pooped on your shoulder, I might. look at you and say "taseopda", which. means like ah,

just like really bad luck. Like, you got. no good luck. Like, you have such bad. luck. It's a little aggressive. Honestly, I don't even think I would say. that. It's kind of a little mm weird. But let's say we're walking down the. street, nothing happens to you, and I. look at you and I say "taseopda". It's commonly interpreted in Korean as. "You're so full of shit.". So, he was probably arguing, I was. saying, "No, she just has bad luck. But. it's it's clear he was trying to say. like you're full of. After she gave her testimony of being. assaulted by 12 men.

I'm going to give you a quick list of. the things that the police did during. the investigation. I'm sure there's a. lot more than what I've just compiled, but even this is really really bad. In order to drop a complaint, you have. to sign an official document that states. that you understand that you're dropping. charges against the perpetrators or the. so-called perpetrators. You have to add. a fingerprint on the document, so you. got to stick your thumb in ink. It's got. to be like notarized, right? One of the detectives smeared ink on. Sora's finger and tried to get her to. close the case forcibly.

Imagine the trauma of being a woman, a. victim, who has. who has been taken advantage of. physically and now someone is trying to. do the same thing, not in the exact same. sense, but they're trying to have power. over your body again. Like the trauma of that. During another cross-examination with. another perpetrator, where for some. reason Sora was present, they basically. forced her to be at every single. cross-examination in front of her. perpetrators with no barriers in between. them, and it was all spaced out. So,

they investigated for 13 months, and I. think once a month they would call her. in. So, every month if she made any. progress at all to get some closure and. healing, she would be right back at the. police station face-to-face with one of. her other perpetrators. She's not even just talking to the. police about what happened to her. Once. a month, she's meeting with her. attackers face-to-face. And think about it, I say is incredibly. destructive mentally. The victim feels. like they are in a position where they. did not have power over their own. bodies, and in that interrogation room,

Sora did not She was not able to face. her attackers with dignity. She was not able to face it cuz you. know, you hear stories of victims. finally going to trial. And it's a moment that they can reclaim. that power because they're in a position. where no, you don't have control over. me. You can never do this to me or. anyone." She doesn't have that. Even the police on aren't on her side. So, think about how helpless, vulnerable. she feels over and over again for over a. year.

A lot of experts said that this type of. trauma would have probably left her. feeling like she had been essayed all. over again once a month for a year after. her traumatic 3 months. By the same perpetrators. During one of the cross-examinations, the detective asked the perpetrator to. describe the sexual acts that they. engaged in because all the perpetrators. admitted to what they did, but they. tried to argue that it was consensual. and she wanted it. The perpetrator described every single. bit of the assault.

in great detail right in front of Sora. and even made explicit noises to go. along with it. Not once did the police stop him. By the end of that cross-examination, Sora was crying and screaming. Her mom. stopped it, took Sora home for where for. days she sat in a trance-like state. refusing to eat anything just laying. there staring at a wall. Even just by looking at her psychiatric. treatment progress notes, Sora was. clearly breaking even more from the. police investigation.

Side note, again, Mrs. Yang blames. herself for that, but I disagree. I. think this is the police's fault, clearly, right? I mean, in the treatment. progress notes, the medical staff wrote. that Sora was. reporting feeling heightened anxiety and. nightmares after looking at the faces of. her attackers again. She said when she hears their voices, all she can think about is when they. locked her in those rooms. and did what they did to her. I mean, clearly, clearly things are not.

going well. After yet another traumatic incident at. the police station, Sora runs out, breaks free from her mom, and runs. directly onto oncoming traffic right in. front of the station. All Mrs. Yang. could hear was her heart thumping in her. ears and all the car tires screeching. and cars honking. And thankfully, they. were all able to stop in time. So, they survived. But it's just crazy. I think it's a global problem. Women and. children are not being protected by law. enforcement. SA crimes are not. It feels.

like the vast majority of law. enforcement just do not care. In 1998 in. South Korea, a crazy verdict was given. on an SA case. A minor was SA'd by. another minor. And the verdict of that. trial, okay, 1998. I know it sounds like. a long time ago, but just think about. this. The statement the judge gave was, "The two parents of the two minors. should let them get married.". What? They were like, basically, they were insinuating that the victim's.

body was wasted since she was violently. attacked by a criminal. So, she should. just marry the criminal and live the. rest of her life in utter fear and. trauma. What? Yeah. Cuz if you're not a virgin before you. get married, it's going to be rough for. you. Was the sentiment. Court is dismissed. And just side tangent, okay? There is. such a strong stigma around SA. I mean, if I told you a man had been physically. assaulted, mentally and emotionally. tortured, and the perpetrator had.

inflicted biological terrorism on his. body, we would not ask that man, "Were. you drunk, sir? Sir, what were you. wearing? Your basketball shorts were a. little short, sir. Are you sure you. didn't want to be terrorized like that, sir?". But that's what SA is. It's assault. And. it should even be categorized as. bioterrorism. She caught chlamydia from. her assaulters. Because you can spread. diseases into the population. non-consensually and with force. That's. literally biological terrorism.

After witnessing how her daughter was. treated by the police for being the. victim of violent sexual crimes, Mrs. Yang asks us this question. Is this. really a country where you can raise a. daughter? The number 18 in Korean can also sound. like a curse word. 18 is shipal. Right? Which I'm not going to say the. curse word in Korean. It's a little. aggressive, but just imagine shipal, but. instead of the peas you have a soft b. And it can mean you.

Um in English it seems a little more. casual and in Korean it's a lot more. passionate. It's a little more. aggressive, right? It's amplified. Now, the number 28 is said to also kind of. sound like the word in Korean. Sora jumped from the 18th floor of their. apartment building on August 28th at. 8:18 p.m. All the numbers lined up were 8 18 28 8. 18. Sora chose that date specifically as a.

way to say you to the world. you to what the monsters did and. you to the police that poured salt. on her wounds and created new ones. And to the justice system that didn't. even help her and to every single person. that shamed her for being a victim of a. crime. She said to them, "Fuck you.". Mrs. Yang had to be tough for Sojung. She just lost her daughter, yes, but her. youngest daughter just lost her older. sister. Sojung was now 30.

when Sora passed and she just lived with. this immense guilt. She cried to her mom. that it was all her fault. She was the. one that suggested the two go be extras. on drama sets. She said if she hadn't. done that, they would have never dipped. their toes into the industry and she. would still be here. She would be. smiling, alive, happy, healthy. And her mom told her, "Never think like. that. Instead, let's focus all of our. attention on. the good moments we had before. everything happened.". So, on the sixth night without Sora,

Mrs. Yang and Sojung, they laid in bed. together. They had a picture frame of. Sora in between them. And they would alternate between crying. and laughing. Sometimes they would start. laughing and end up crying. And they. were just reminiscing of all the little. things that Sora would do. All of the. ridiculous fights that they had gotten. into that seemed like such a big deal at. the time. They were borrowing each. other's clothes. That's my pencil case. Mrs. Yang dozed off for a bit. And when. she opened her eyes, Sojung was still wide awake.

She didn't sleep at all that night. And she said, "Mom, did Unnie shower the day that she died?". "What do you mean did she shower?". "I don't know. I don't know what I'm. thinking. Let's just all meet in 20. years, right?". "What does that mean?". "I guess if 20 years is too early, we. can all be rejoined in like 30 years.". Sojung got up and went to take a shower. She was in there for a very long time.

That day, she would jump from the 13th. floor of a building in Seoul. Her note to her mother read, "Mom, I'm. sorry, but I have to follow my sister. I. just miss her so much.". Mrs. Yang remembers that day with. bitterness. Not just because I'm sure it. was one of the most traumatic, painful. days that any single human could. experience, but because she feels like. she should have known something was. going to happen. She says that she. should have done something to try and.

stop it. She said, "Why didn't I think. that my younger daughter would die, too? Why didn't I save her life?". About the shower comment, it felt like Sojung wanted to retrace. her older sister's steps the day of. And I know the comments and questions. feel strange in hindsight, and it's. like, "Oh, didn't the mom notice that. she was asking all these weird. questions?" But it's been 6 days since. Sora passed. I don't think Sojung was. displaying an abnormal amount of grief. during that time. Imagine you just lose. a family member. Your loved one is.

expressing grief and you're like, well, I don't know. You might try to do. something, so let's stick you in a psych. ward. Like, you wouldn't do that. That could. be a new breaking point for that person. Mrs. Yang was just trying to be there. for her kids. So, on September 3rd, 2009, less than a. week after Sora died, So Jung passed. away. and Mrs. Yang's life was in pieces. And the back-to-back deaths of their two. daughters deteriorated Mr. Yang's. health. So, apparently during Sora's. fight for justice, Mr. Yang kind of.

faded in the background. He resorted to. drinking a lot to try and forget his. pain. He had a brain hemorrhage. He had. been bedridden. He could not get back. up. The stress and the toll of the. drinking and all of that, he didn't. recover well from his hemorrhage. Studies have shown that psychological. pain has such a profound effect on. healing that even hospitals don't even. really know how to adequately address. it. On November 2009, just 2 months after. his youngest daughter's death, Mr. Yang.

would pass away, too. And for a while, it felt like Mrs. Yang. had no one, not even relatives. While. Mrs. Yang wanted to put her life on the. line and talk about the injustice that. her family went through, her relatives. were mad at her. Some of her own like. closest siblings, they were they were. saying, "Why are you making our family. look bad? You're filling our family with. problems. They're gone. There's nothing. we can do to bring them back.". For a while, Mrs. Yang kept quiet and.

she harbored all this anger and pain by. herself. She lost 81 lb. It was just so quiet when it was time to. eat and the air just felt so. suffocatingly heavy. And she was just alone in that house. She went to all these doctors, got. prescription pills. They were so strong. that she ended up just sitting there. drooling and crying at the wall. She. felt like a shell of a human. She would. stare at the wall or the TV all day. feeling numb.

So, imagine. like a year of this. A year of being in a house where every. nook and cranny is a remnant, a memory. of your family that's all gone. She's heavily medicated. She can't even. eat. She's losing all her family members. and boom, the end credits to a new drama. rolling and it's one of Sora's. perpetrators' names listed as a. director. Because of these men, her daughters had. become a handful of ashes, but here they. are living their lives as if nothing has. happened. Some of them even had children.

of their own. Children. Mrs. Yang felt like she was going crazy. She even changed her name. Not because. she didn't want them to find her. anything, but it's an old superstition. that your name can carry good or bad. luck and she said, "Maybe my daughters. died because my name is unclean.". She said she would have given up. anything for her daughters, her name, her life, anything. And that is why Mrs. Yang started her. one-person protest. She would. demonstrate with a huge sign showing the. names of 12 perpetrators who harassed.

and assaulted her daughter. Every demonstration, a cop would come up. to her and say, "I'm a cop. I got a. report that someone is defaming on the. streets.". The police are really worried about all. the wrong things. Yet, defamation is a serious issue, but. first of all, I don't even think that. this is defamation and second of all, if. you were to tell me is defamation worse. than essay? It It's really clear. During another demonstration, allegedly. one of the family members of the. perpetrators came up to Mrs. Yang and. tried to slap her in the face with his.

palm. It's like the brother of a. perpetrator while swearing at her. One of the perpetrators even stated, "I. will make her a beggar by suing her for. for defamation. The next time she's on. the street, she's going to be asking for. money and food.". She did get into a physical altercation. with one of the perpetrators. There is a. YouTube video on it on her channel, and. she ends up fracturing her wrist because. he shoved her during a protest. One of. the wives of the pigs called Mrs. Yang. and threatened to sue her for. defamation. And when Mrs. Yang tried to. explain to her the situation and how.

terrifying of a person that her husband. was, the wife responded, "I don't care. what he did as a bachelor before we got. married.". Even the police officer that worked on. the case and did, in my opinion, one of. the worst jobs I've ever seen, if you. can even call it a job, he also stated. that he would sue Mrs. Yang for. defamation. And this part is crazy, but Mrs. Yang. went to see one of the detectives. thinking, "Okay, maybe after. 5 years, he'll apologize. After 10. years, he'll apologize. Maybe he'll find. some salvation somewhere and come to his.

senses.". She showed him portraits of her two. daughters, and he insisted he doesn't. recall a single thing. Doesn't remember. them. And he started filming her, threatening. to sue her for defamation. In Korean, there's an expression, he who. farts in the room and gets angry at. everyone else for the smell. Mrs. Yang felt really depressed again. I. mean, this is the evil, angry. scum that her daughter had to deal with.

In the span of 6 months, Mrs. Yang had. lost her whole family. She lost her. oldest daughter, her youngest daughter, then her husband, and she said that she. felt like she was always gasping for air. and struggling to get a deep breath in. Imagine being in a constant state where. you feel like you're half drowning all. the time. The only reason that Mrs. Yang stayed. for so long instead of joining her. family. was because of one of Soojong's dogs. They still had a dog.

Soojong had brought home this tiny. little puppy a while ago, and they named. him Peepee, right? Which I feel like. could mean a lot. I feel like he was a. little rascal when they first got him. cuz the the name sounds very. rambunctious, like a little. troublemaker. And she said he was the last one in the. family. She said she felt a duty to make sure. that at least one family member lived a. long life under her care. She brushed his teeth every single day.

She looked online for best meals to feed. dogs. The dog ate better than her. She. would mix milk into his dog food to make. it easier for him. She brushed his hair. every single day. She absolutely. treasured him. He lived for 19 long years before. passing away. And that is when Mrs. Yang decided, "It's time for me to join my family.". And she attempted. to end things, but she survived. And she said in that moment all she.

remembered was Sojung telling her. the day before when they were laying in. bed together before she passed, her. youngest daughter told her, "Mom, get your revenge. I think if anyone can do it, you can. You're strong.". And so now, that is what she's doing.

She's going to get justice. Um she feels. like that's what she the only thing she. can and will do as a mother, no matter. how hard it is, no matter how lonely it. is without her family. And it's been. really hard, okay? Mrs. Yang. waged a lawsuit against the. perpetrators. April of 2014. Now, there. is a part of this that I couldn't bring. up earlier because I. I wanted to be wary of people thinking. this was some sort of argument against. Sora, but.

during the 3 months of Sora's torture, Sora purchased a ton of quote gifts for. one of the directors. Nike shoes, hats, tech gear, clothes, camera, sunglasses, watch, even gifted one of the directors. like a thousand dollars in cash. Now, this is a detail that I'm sure the. perpetrators would love to spin and be. like, oh, she had a crush on me. But it. was very clear that Sora was threatened. She could not say no to these people. They threatened to cut up her face, light her family home on fire, kill her. own family, and assault her younger.

sister. So, yeah, I don't think she. personally bought these items because. she very much enjoyed the company of. these scumbags. One of the directors was even. threatening her, trying to get her to. give him the deed to their family home. These were all alleged in the lawsuit, but Sora's mom's case would be dismissed. because the statute of limitations had. already passed. Now, remember how some of the. perpetrators wanted to sue Mrs. Yang for. defamation? Well, they did. They tried. to sue her for over a hundred thousand.

dollars, stating that Mrs. Yang had. ruined their reputations and made them. lose out on work. Due to her one-person protests that she. would do in front of their agencies. Yeah, they would also alleged that Mrs. Yang was doing this all for money. Also, Mrs. Yang is in her 70s and she's a very. beautiful person and they tried to argue. that she's trying to make money off her. daughter's death and get plastic. surgery, which I feel like tells us all. we need to know about these pigs. Imagine your children passed because of.

essay and they're like, "No, you're not. doing this for justice. You're doing it. cuz you want to look pretty.". These are like caricatures of evil, disgusting villains. I like. Also, they tried to argue that it was. consensual and that they were just so, so attractive, and Soda even offered to. pay for the motel fees herself. Thankfully, the judge dismissed, threw. their lawsuits in the trash can where it. belongs, and stated, "I cannot help but.

feel deeply frustrated and sad at the. disastrous failure of public power. As a person in charge of public power, I. express my deep apology and sincere. consolation to the mother.". The judge read out a two-page paper. about the failure of justice and deemed. Mrs. Yang not guilty in defaming the. perpetrators. But still, the principle that they even. filed defamation charges, she felt like. the perpetrators were trying to kill her. daughters twice. But Mrs. Yang's revenge had just begun.

She wanted to reveal the inside story of. the death of her two daughters to the. world. I mean, she feels like she needs. to. This is what her youngest daughter. told her to do before she passed. She's. doing this for her kids. She started a petition for the Blue. House, which is like the White House of. South Korea. As of March 2018, more than. 200,000. people have signed the national petition. to the Blue House demanding a. reinvestigation into this case. Now, back in the day, if you got 200,000.

signatures in 1 month, the Blue House. would at least have to address that. petition. That has since changed because of the. new president. He like doesn't even want. to look at it. No way. Yeah, it's really bad. So, um she had. 200,000 signatures. They This was the. 23rd Blue House petition that was. formally addressed by the Blue House of. South Korea. They said that they were going to. reinvestigate, but in 2018, when the. police began reinvestigating, the. frustrating thing was because of how.

poorly the case was handled in the first. place, in the first time when it. actually happened, like right after, there wasn't a ton of evidence left. over. Like I said, the police basically. trashed everything. They ruined all. shots at a proper investigation then and. in the future. The police commissioner even stated that. because of the statute of limitations. had passed and the complaint was. withdrawn while Sora was alive, they. said basically it looks like a. reinvestigation. won't be possible. Or at least they. won't produce any results, really.

Mrs. Yang said, "I never dreamed that. there would be 200,000 people. I thought. it'd be incredible if we got 100,000. people to sign. I just want to thank. everyone. I'm a small citizen with no. power and I want to thank everyone just. for knowing. Thank you. Thank you so. much. I'm glad I'm alive. There is no. way to repay even a little of what we. wanted from our children. But 200,000. people now know and I will keep going. until 50 million people in Korea.

know everything. for as long as I live.". The state offered to pay for her. daughters' funerals. So, August 28th, 2018, she held a joint funeral. Mrs. Yang said "Q" to the state for not. doing anything. August 28th, 2018, she held a funeral, yeah. And of course,

I can't conclude this episode without. talking about the dark reality of the. film industry. Mrs. Yang met with the. ministers of state to try and get the. men fired from their positions in the. industry as casting directors. And one. of them, the minister, sympathized with. her but stated, "The system in our. country and the police is that we focus. on evidence.". He apologized when Mrs. Yang started. crying. She was devastated and she said, "Three people are dead. Isn't that. evidence enough?". A lot of people echoed this sentiment.

Moms came forward and said, "You know, when my daughters said they wanted to. get into the industry, I would tell. them, don't stay for too long though.". That means something eventually happens. to you. It's just a matter of time. An anonymous assistant performer said. that working in the industry for the. past 10 years, sexual harassment occurs frequently on. sets and everyone but the stars, like. the lead and the supporting roles, everybody else, they have to hold their. breaths on set and hope that it doesn't. happen to them.

A Young Jin committee survey revealed. that only one out of 27 cases were dealt. with legally. About half the cases were. just swept under the rug so the victims. wouldn't have to lose their livelihoods. Four people sexually assaulted Sora. Nine people sexually harassed and. assaulted her. Three people physically. assaulted Mrs. Yang when she tried to. get justice for her daughter. They hit. and shoved her down. 12 sexual predators and three violent. criminals. And the tragedy is that as of.

right now, not a single person that. played a role in this horrific case has. been punished. Many of them are still. working in the industry. As of 2020, one of the perpetrators. worked on the drama Dating is annoying. but I hate being lonely. Mrs. Yang rallied everyone to protest. and boycott and MBC, one of the biggest. networks in Korea, reportedly terminated. their contract with the perpetrator. stating that they were unaware of this. incident. So they fired him. Then May of 2023, the drama Lovers came.

out. Lovers. Another perpetrator had worked on set. MBC banned them from accessing any. future production sites and stated since. they were hired by a third party that. they were unaware at the time of the. incident, they stated that they will. actually terminate the whole contract. with that third-party company in. question to exclude any possible. participation of a perpetrator moving. forward. Also, this is really scary, but. apparently one of the casting directors, um, E Eon Gwang, is working in the.

administration department of a huge. gynecology office in South Korea. Meanwhile, from all the lawsuits that. Mrs. Yang faced from the perpetrators, even though they were dismissed, she had. to sell her apartment to pay her legal. fees. So, please click the link in the. description for Mrs. Yang's YouTube. channel to get updates. I am hoping to. meet her if I go to Korea soon, so. I can give you guys updates there as. well. And Mrs. Yang stated that she's.

going to continue to follow the. perpetrators for the rest of their lives. and continue to expose them. If the. courts cannot punish these men, their. crimes will be known to the public. That. is her goal. She is in her 70s now, and she works out. every single day to stay very fit and. healthy so that not only can she protest. every single week, but you know, a lot. of these perpetrators are a lot younger. than her. And she said her goal is to outlive at.

least one of them. So that she can dance on his grave. She said, "This is a country that does. nothing for its daughters. The police even put my two daughters at. risk. There is nothing we can do but. talk like this. And there is something that I really. want to tell women like my daughter. You should live. and not die. You must never die. You must live. Even though 14 years have passed since.

her daughters have left, whenever Mrs. Yang is walking on the. street and hears a girl scream, "Omma!". she still turns around. And that is the story of the Yang. sisters in South Korea. Please leave your supportive comments. for Mrs. Yang in the comments. We're. going to translate them, a bunch of. them, for her. And I know that she would. love to see your support. And hopefully. we can meet with her and protest with. her when we're in Korea next. But.

let's just keep this story out there. Please Please go to her YouTube channel. Even if you don't understand Korean, I. don't think you need to to understand. the pain that she's gone through, to. watch these videos, to engage with her. content. Please. And let me know your thoughts. And please stay safe. And I'll see you. guys on Wednesday for the main episode. Bye.