“Serial killer Kim Seon-ja, who poisoned herself with greed for money”
On the May 21 episode of SBS’s "Tails of Tales," the show traced a series of mysterious deaths that occurred on Seoul city buses in the 1980s.
In 1988, several deaths occurred one after another. What drew suspicion was that the victims’ bodies all showed strikingly similar signs: bluish faces and foam around the mouth.
The victims, all middle-aged women in their 40s, suddenly collapsed and died on buses despite having no known illnesses or involvement in traffic accidents.
Believing the incidents were not accidents but crimes, police launched an investigation and requested forensic analysis from the National Forensic Service. Cyanide was detected in the victims’ bodies, leading investigators to conclude that they had died after ingesting potassium cyanide poison.
Police then began interviewing people connected to the victims and eventually focused on a 49-year-old woman named Kim Seon-ja, who was the last known person seen with them.
During reporting on the case, authorities also received a tip about another suspiciously similar death from two years earlier, expanding the investigation. Kim Seon-ja had reportedly helped victims onto buses before disappearing. Investigators later uncovered yet another suspected victim, who also turned out to be someone acquainted with Kim.
Even more suspiciously, Kim’s father and younger sister had both died around the same period. Her elderly father had initially been believed to have died of natural causes due to heart failure, and her younger sister died one month after his burial. Their deaths also appeared questionable.
Police reopened investigations into both deaths and decided to exhume the bodies to determine whether there was a connection. Shockingly, cyanide was also detected in their remains, identifying them as additional suspected victims.
Despite mounting evidence, Kim Seon-ja calmly denied all charges. However, police discovered jewelry, luxury goods, and valuables belonging to the victims inside her home, horrifying investigators. It was also revealed that after her younger sister collapsed from poisoning and was taken to the hospital, Kim went to her sister’s house, searched through wardrobes, and stole belongings, later lying to her nephew about it.
After persistent investigation, police eventually discovered cyanide hidden inside a hole in the bathroom wall of Kim’s home, allowing them to formally identify and arrest her as a serial murder suspect.
Even after her arrest, Kim maintained a disturbingly calm demeanor and even blamed the victims themselves. An expert explained that Kim displayed traits clearly distinct from ordinary people emotionally, noting that beyond the murders, she was obsessed with gambling and nightlife, which reflected psychopathic tendencies in both lifestyle and emotional characteristics.
Kim Seon-ja was ultimately sentenced to death and executed. Even until the end, she showed no remorse, saying: “I just wanted to live freely and enjoy life however I wanted for once. If I were born again, I wouldn’t want to be born poor.” She also claimed: “I am dying unfairly.” Her refusal to repent left a bitter impression.
The program also revealed an additional attempted murder that failed. One victim survived because, unlike the others who drank cyanide mixed into ssanghwa tea, this victim drank it mixed into yulmu tea instead. An expert explained that the highly acidic ssanghwa tea accelerated the poison’s effects, whereas the more neutral yulmu tea helped the victim survive.
After the victim barely survived, Kim Seon-ja reportedly even visited them and casually asked: “Are you feeling okay now?”
(SBS Entertainment News | Kim Hyo-jung)