Oen Bo-hyun
Oen Bo-Hyun | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | April 6, 1957 |
| Died | November 2, 1995 (aged 38) |
| Cause of death | Execution by hanging |
| Criminal status | Executed |
| Conviction(s) | Murder (2 counts) |
| Criminal penalty | Death |
| Details | |
| Date | September 1–14, 1994 |
| Location(s) | Seoul and its surroundings |
| Killed | 2 |
| Injured | 4 |
| Weapons | Plastic bag, knife |
Oen Bo-Hyun (Korean: 온보현; Hanja: 溫保鉉, April 6, 1957 – November 2, 1995) was a South Korean spree killer and rapist who attacked six women in Seoul in September 1994, killing two. Convicted of the murders, he was subsequently executed in 1995.
Murders
[edit]- September 1, 1994 - At around 1 AM, he picked up a karaoke hostess named Kwon in his stolen taxi at the Songpa District, threatening the woman and thereafter raping her on a nearby road. He then drove her to his hometown, where Oen raped her again, and then tied her to a nearby tree with some string.[1]
- September 11, 1994 - At around 7:30 PM, in Doksan-dong, Oen threatened another woman with his gun and kidnapped her. He took her to a hill in Hoengseong County, where he raped her and stole 310,000 won in cash.
- September 12, 1994 - At around 9:30 PM, he kidnapped Yang Heo in front of the Phospho Building in Seocho-dong, taking her to Hoengseong. The following day, at around 5:30 PM, he dragged the victim to a hillside near Singal-dong, and attempted to rape Yang, but when she resisted, he suffocated her with a plastic bag and then abandoned the body on site.
- September 14, 1994 - at about 9 PM, he kidnapped another woman, Yang Park, from Garak-dong, taking her to Apo-eup, where he subsequently killed her. The body was later discarded around the upper or lower lines of the Gyeongbu Expressway.
- September 27, 1994 - following the recent arrest of the Chijon family, the Seocho Police Station were pressured into capturing the rogue killer.[2]
After the arrest
[edit]Investigation
[edit]Under the leadership of prosecutor Hong Joon-pyo, on-site verification were conducted on the Gyeongbu Expressway, where Bo-Hyun had murdered Yang Park, and in the hills of Ojeong-ri, where he had killed Yang Heo.[3] The police claimed that there were no additional victims aside from the six known cases. He was investigated for other possible crimes, but none were linked back to Oen.
Reaction
[edit]Oen Bo-Hyun's crime spree was uncovered immediately after the Chijon family's killings, causing a great social impact. Citizens complained about the spike of serial murder in the country,[4] with women being extremely reluctant to take taxis at night. In response, precautions were taken to prevent any further incidents.[5]
In an interview with Weekly Trends in August 2006, Pyo Chang-won, a professor at the Korean National Police University, pointed out that the backgrounds of serial killers such as the Chijon Family, Oen Bo-Hyun and Yoo Young-chul is marred by a twisted psychological state, childhood issues and dissatisfaction with society.[6] Pyo analyzed that they had a common tendency to rationalize their own failures and frustrations by blaming society for them, and thus, they committed crimes to get back at the purported "corrupt" society.
Execution
[edit]Oen Bo-Hyun was sentenced to death for his crimes, and on November 2, 1995, he, along with 19 other violent criminals, including most members of the Chijon family, were executed.[7]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ "Woman abducted, assaulted and murdered by taxi driver". The Dong-a Ilbo (in Korean). September 28, 1994.
- ^ "Oen Bo-Hyun, the kidnapper and murderer of a female employee, surrendered last night". The Daily Economy (in Korean). September 28, 1994.
- ^ "Police conduct an on-site inspection where several women were kidnapped and murdered". MBC News (in Korean). September 29, 1994.
- ^ "'I can't live because I'm anxious.'". Kyunghyang Shinmun (in Korean). September 29, 1994.
- ^ "The Ten Commandments for women riding in late night taxis". Kyunghyang Shinmun (in Korean). September 29, 1994.
- ^ "Interview with Constabulary Professor Pyo Chang-won". Weekly News (in Korean). August 22, 2006.
- ^ "19 people were executed, including the Chijon family". The Dong-a Ilbo (in Korean). November 3, 1995.
- 1957 births
- 1994 in South Korea
- 1995 deaths
- 20th-century criminals
- People executed for murder
- Executed South Korean people
- People convicted of murder by South Korea
- People executed by South Korea by hanging
- People from Gimje
- South Korean people convicted of murder
- South Korean people convicted of rape
- South Korean murderers
- Violence against women in South Korea