A murder case involving a multi-millionaire worth 10 billion won: was it an accidental mishap or a premeditated murder?
On June 27, SBS's 'Unanswered Questions' tracked the horrific murder case of a multi-millionaire worth 10 billion won under the subtitle 'Between Two Graves - The Seocho Suitcase Murder Case.'
On March 30, a man surnamed Lee was arrested on the spot in Seocho-gu, Seoul, while attempting to abandon the body of a woman in her 50s inside a suitcase after murdering her. Lee was known to others as a "king of volunteering," and at the time, an acquaintance had reported him missing to the police because he could not be reached. Lee lived a life with two starkly different faces.
The person he murdered was his ex-wife, whom he had divorced three months prior to the incident. The two had been married for 28 years before recently reaching a mutual divorce agreement. Afterward, Lee's ex-wife, So-young, filed a lawsuit for property division. Lee claimed that he accidentally killed So-young during an argument over the lawsuit.
After putting the body in a suitcase and traveling, he claimed he visited his parents' graves in Yeongwol-gun, Gangwon-do, and Eumseong-gun, Chungcheongbuk-do, to pay his respects, and then intended to take his own life.
In response, Lee's two sons—who are also the sons of the victim, So-young—could not hide their anger, calling him "a demon, a psychopath." They revealed that while Lee was celebrated as a hero of good deeds outside, he was an absolute tyrant at home.
Furthermore, although So-young had been married to Lee for 22 years, she did not fully know the extent of Lee's wealth. The sons were also in the dark.
However, Lee was a multi-millionaire worth 10 billion won, receiving rental income after being gifted his father's building in Majang-dong in 2018, and owning six officetels in prime Gangnam locations, as well as two jointly owned apartments.
In particular, Lee had no separate job and earned income through the rental business and real estate investment, which was estimated to be around 10 million won per month. However, he did not provide any living expenses to the victim, forcing her to work for a long time to support herself and their sons. Her earned income alone reportedly reached about 600 million won.
It was also revealed that while preparing for the property division lawsuit, she found lease agreements held by Lee, through which she only estimated that Lee owned real estate but could not confirm his exact assets.
Lee was served with the property division lawsuit on March 9. Lee, who had a strong obsession with money, was stressed by this, but claimed it was not the cause of the murder. He asserted that his ex-wife slapped him first, hard enough to send his glasses flying, and that he committed the murder impulsively in a state of agitation.
However, when abandoning the body, Lee placed it in a suitcase, wrapped the face in a plastic bag, and tied a necktie around the neck. The plastic bag and necktie completely suffocated the face and neck.
An expert commented, "He likely did that out of fear she might survive. The fact that marks from the necktie were found during the autopsy indicates it was tied tightly. It is difficult to accept that there was no intent to murder when he assaulted her, strangled her, covered her head with a plastic bag, and tied it with a necktie."
It was also shockingly revealed that while transporting the body in the suitcase, Lee even had breakfast at a restaurant near his house and spoke on the phone with a friend as if nothing had happened.
Furthermore, in letters sent to his sons after his arrest, instead of showing reflection or repentance, he asked if his assets were safe and even lectured his sons.
Meanwhile, during the coverage, another suspicious death surrounding Lee came to light: his father, who died while taking a half-bath in the bathroom.
Lee's son expressed suspicion about the meaning behind Lee's words, recalling that while transporting the body, Lee told him, "I was similarly suspected when your grandfather passed away, but it was quietly brushed over. It will pass similarly this time as well."
The mixed-use commercial and residential building in Majang-dong, owned by Lee's father, was valued at 3 billion won at the time of its sale in 2016. Lee sold it, citing his parents' illness, which laid the foundation for accumulating his current wealth.
Afterward, Lee began living alone with his father in an apartment in Seocho-gu. However, the caregiving fell on So-young. Lee's father, who was cared for by So-young even on the day of his death, suddenly passed away despite clearly being healthy.
With no autopsy performed at the time, the exact cause of death remains unknown, but it was revealed that Lee went ahead with cremation despite his father's wish to be buried.
An expert analyzed Lee's remarks to his son, stating, "It shows he believes he can still control this situation. It seems like a monologue to comfort himself."
Since then, Lee has continuously sent letters to his sons, expressing anger and even making threats. He urged his sons, who are preparing for the property division lawsuit, to stop, calling it a meaningless action, and even instructed them to hire the best criminal defense lawyer for him.
An expert who read the letters, which lacked repentance and regret but were filled only with thoughts of money, remarked, "He is only worried about the disadvantages he will face by killing his wife. To this man, protecting his money is of utmost importance." Lee, who was highly obsessed with money, is extremely terrified of having his assets taken away.
While Lee usually enjoyed watching action or adult films, his consumption of crime-related content increased around the time of the crime. Notably, he drew attention by watching crime shows for 20 hours on the day before the incident.
Among the videos he watched, scenes of strangling someone to death appeared most frequently, along with scenes of putting a plastic bag over a victim's head. It also included scenes of placing a victim killed by assault into a suitcase to abandon the body.
An expert pointed out, "This is highly significant evidence that strengthens the suspicion of premeditation."
So-young also took care of her mother-in-law, who was battling an illness, but Lee was only interested in his mother's money. In her diary written during her lifetime, Lee's mother expressed gratitude and apologies toward her daughter-in-law. It was also So-young who prepared her final meal.
An expert speculated, "From this man's perspective, his wife's utility value had decreased. Since his parents had passed away, his wife had no further benefits to offer him, so he likely had no lingering attachments to ending the relationship." The expert added, "Once the lawsuit began, he must have carefully considered his options, and it is unlikely that murder was not among them."
The sons could not hide their anger regarding Lee setting his phone profile status message to "rainbow bridge" after murdering So-young, saying, "They say pets cross the rainbow bridge when they die. It makes us wonder if he thought of our mother as nothing more than a pet dog."
Lee, who became stressed and irritated whenever questions about money arose, claimed during his meeting with the production team that he had done his best to care for his parents, saying, "I paid all of my mother's medical bills. Every time she was hospitalized, it cost 20 million won, and I paid all of it. Honestly, that was stressful."
Lee has hired four lawyers. In response, the broadcast expressed confidence that the fair and just law would surely recognize a criminal who turned his back on moral laws, and that he would undoubtedly receive the punishment he deserves for his crimes.
Reported by Kim Hyo-jung
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