Mocked as Victim Pleaded 'My Organs Are Spilling Out': 10-Year Friend Killed, Then Told 'Kimchi'

Why did naked killer Jeong Jae-hwan brutally murder his friend?

In the SBS program "Unanswered Questions" broadcast yesterday (August 22), the truth behind the Gyeongsan friend murder case was investigated under the subtitle "The Naked Killer and the Live Broadcast of Death - Why Did Jeong Jae-hwan Kill His Friend?"

In the early hours of July 4, a brutal murder took place at an apartment in Gyeongsan, North Gyeongsang Province, where a man murdered his friend of the same age.


What shocked the public was that the perpetrator killed the victim through an overkill and wandered the streets naked for about an hour covered in blood after the murder. During this process, he was captured stopping by a convenience store to take banana-flavored milk without paying and casually walking past police cars moving to arrest him.

The perpetrator, in his 20s named Jeong Jae-hwan, stabbed the victim some 50 times across the face, neck, abdomen, arms, and legs, leaving bite marks severe enough to tear off flesh. The victim, who was brutally killed by him, was Heo Min-seok, also in his 20s, a friend of 10 years.

Jeong Jae-hwan claims he cannot remember the situation or motive of the crime due to being drunk. He continues to feign total ignorance to this day.


However, before his death, Heo had called friends in Daegu asking for help, and a 21-minute recording of the phone call made while they were heading to Jeong's house in Gyeongsan captured the unfolding situation intact.

Suffering in pain, Heo repeatedly apologized. He trembled with anxiety, saying, "Jae-hwan, it feels like my insides are going to pop out. My insides are coming out." Yet Jeong Jae-hwan let out a chilling laugh and did not stop his attacks.

Meanwhile, another friend, surnamed Ko, who was present at the scene and had also been assaulted by Jeong, regrettably could not remember anything about the incident due to intoxication. Jeong had reportedly intensified his violence against Heo only after Ko moved away to sleep.

In addition, two large plastic bags of unknown purpose were found at the scene, leading friends to suspect they might have been intended for mutilating or abandoning the body.

An expert analyzed the recording containing the sounds from the time of the incident, noting that victimization likely occurred even before the recorded audio. The expert also expressed regret, pointing out that moaning sounds presumed to be Heo surviving could still be heard even after Jeong was recorded leaving the house.


The expert further shocked viewers by analyzing that Jeong's voice saying, "Min-seok, kimchi," could be heard, suggesting that Jeong took a proof shot of the victim after the crime.

Jeong Jae-hwan had shown violent tendencies after drinking in the past. Without any provocation, he would assault acquaintances or his own pets, and at times self-harm. He would then show drastic emotional swings, laughing or crying.

However, an expert analyzed CCTV footage of Jeong's actions and concluded that he was neither extremely drunk nor physically incapacitated at the time of the crime.

That was evident when, right before his arrest, Jeong asked a friend to send a luxury watch worth tens of millions of won and 20 million won in cash to his mother.


Jeong Jae-hwan had never held a steady job. Acquaintances testified that he seemed to have suddenly become rich after briefly going to work in Seoul and Southeast Asia.

Moving into a newly built three-room apartment equipped with a safe and a money-counting machine at home, Jeong flaunted his wealth by buying expensive luxury goods and replacing supercars multiple times. Acquaintances stated it seemed he had worked as a cash withdrawal agent for an illegal gambling site. It was also revealed that his mother cared more about the luxury watch and Jeong Jae-hwan than the victim and the bereaved family, delivering another shock.

Exempted from military service due to a diagnosis of destructive impulse control and conduct disorder, Jeong was analyzed by an expert who said, "Even if someone is a psychopath, they usually fear social punishment and are not entirely compliant. It appears he enjoyed watching the victim suffer. Extreme anger and excitement—the perpetrator seemed to feel a sort of pleasure from it."


Jeong had displayed violence since his adolescence. However, an expert guessed there must have been a distinct trigger that exploded his violent nature.

After becoming an adult, Jeong assaulted acquaintances, and it was always the victim, Heo, who cleaned up the mess and stopped him. An expert explained, "He probably felt the victim was someone suppressing his omnipotence and desire for control. He seems to have had a personality that could not tolerate anyone—especially friends trying to approach him with good intentions—blocking his violent behavior."

The expert also drew attention by analyzing that failing to receive proper guidance at critical moments and being abandoned by his parents seemed to have chronically disabled his ability to control impulses.

(Produced by Kim Hyo-jung, Digital News Editor)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.