Jeju Pension Closed After 'Goyujeong Case'... Elderly Owner Couple Received Psychological Treatment

Lawyer Son Suho: "Victim in this case not well known"
"If no property under Goyujeong's name, difficult to receive compensation"

Ko Yoo-jeong, who was arrested and indicted on charges of murdering her ex-husband and stepson, arrived at Jeju District Court on February 20th in the afternoon to attend the first trial sentencing hearing and is getting off the transport vehicle. / Photo by Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Juhyung] It has been reported that a pension in Jeju, where the brutal murder and dismemberment of the ex-husband by Go Yoo-jeong took place, has closed down due to a decline in business following the incident. Additionally, the elderly couple who invested their retirement funds in the pension are said to be experiencing financial difficulties.

Attorney Son Suho of the law firm Hyunjae recently shared on his Instagram, "There is an unknown victim in the Go Yoo-jeong case," revealing these facts.

Attorney Son explained, "Go Yoo-jeong’s life sentence has been confirmed. It was recognized that she deliberately murdered her ex-husband at a pension in Jeju," adding, "(This pension) was built by an elderly couple who poured their retirement savings into it for their later years, but Go Yoo-jeong brutally killed someone there."

He continued, "Due to careless media coverage, the location of the pension became known," and "All existing reservations were canceled, and no new guests came, so it eventually closed down. It has been abandoned ever since."

Attorney Son said, "It is a very unfair situation," but "After receiving the case, I honestly explained that although we can win against Go Yoo-jeong, it might be difficult to actually receive compensation if there are no assets under her name."

He added, "The client was so aggrieved that they wanted to proceed with the lawsuit anyway. The trial was held in Jeju and we won, but (Go Yoo-jeong) has no significant assets," explaining, "We made every effort, but unless Go Yoo-jeong’s family steps in to resolve the matter, it is practically a difficult situation."

Ko Yu-jeong is getting into a transport vehicle after being sentenced to life imprisonment at the appellate trial at Jeju District Court on the morning of July 15. / Photo by Yonhap News

According to Attorney Son, Go Yoo-jeong immediately appealed after losing the first trial for the damages lawsuit, and the second trial is currently underway.

Previously, in November last year, the son of the pension owners revealed in an interview with CBS Radio’s 'Kim Hyun-jung’s News Show' that it was difficult to continue running the pension, leading to its closure.

He said, "We filed for closure and are not operating it now," and appealed, "Given how the incident unfolded, it has become difficult to sell the property."

He also described the elderly couple who own the pension, saying, "They left their hometown to start a second life, but after the incident, it feels as if their life was ruined at the end or that they failed, so they have been attending psychological therapy."

Meanwhile, on the 5th, the Supreme Court upheld the life sentence for Go Yoo-jeong.

The Supreme Court’s First Division (Presiding Justice Lee Ki-taek) held a final appeal hearing that morning for Go Yoo-jeong, who was charged with murder and corpse mutilation and concealment, confirming the life sentence.

Go Yoo-jeong is accused of killing her ex-husband, Mr. A, at a pension in Jocheon-eup, Jeju City, on May 25 last year, dismembering his body, and disposing of it. She is also accused of suffocating and killing her stepson, Mr. B, who was sleeping face down on a bed at their home in Cheongju, Chungbuk, on March 1 of the same year.

In the first and second trials, the courts found her guilty of murdering her ex-husband but did not recognize the charge of killing her stepson, citing insufficient motive and lack of evidence that she committed the act. The Supreme Court also ruled the stepson’s murder charge as not guilty.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.