Jodusun, Yoo Youngchul, Kang Hosun... What They Did Before Their Crimes [Han Seunggon's Incident Notebook]

Jodusun Continues to Abuse Pet Dog
Gang Hosun Cruelly Kills Dogs at His Own Slaughterhouse
Yoo Youngcheol and Lee Younghak Also Involved in Animal Abuse
Expert: "Jodusun Expresses His Emotions Through Cruel Acts"

'Child sex offender' Jo Doo-soon. Photo by CCTV footage from Gyeongbuk Cheongsong Prison in 2017

[Asia Economy Reporter Han Seung-gon] As child sex offender Jo Doo-soon is set to be released on the 12th, attention is turning to the background of his past brutal animal abuse. Not only Jo Doo-soon, but serial killers Kang Ho-soon, Yoo Young-chul, and the so-called 'Eogeumni Appa' (Tooth Father) Lee Young-hak, who murdered a friend's daughter and abandoned the body, also cruelly abused animals. Kang Ho-soon brutally killed dogs at the slaughterhouse he operated, Yoo Young-chul showed an obsession with organs, and Lee Young-hak killed dogs using a hammer.

When these incidents are considered together, their commonality lies in the fact that they cruelly killed or tortured animals before committing their crimes. Some argue that such acts directly led to their criminal behavior. Experts have analyzed that in Jo Doo-soon's case, these acts were a way to express his emotions.

According to JTBC's 'Lee Kyu-yeon's Spotlight' on the 5th, Jo Doo-soon stated, "There were two occasions when I came home drunk and threw a puppy, killing it," and even said, "On one occasion, I stabbed one of the puppy's eyes with a broomstick and killed it." He explained, "There were two times when I came home drunk and threw a puppy into a bottle, killing it." Jo Doo-soon was revealed to have kept five pet dogs at the time and repeatedly abused them.

Professor Kwon Il-yong, an adjunct professor at Dongguk University's Graduate School of Police and Judicial Studies and Jo Doo-soon's profiler, warned that such behavior should not be taken lightly.

Professor Kwon said, "Serial killers Kang Ho-soon and Yoo Young-chul also practiced killing on dogs just before their first crimes," adding, "Jo Doo-soon is in a severe psychological state where he expresses his emotions through cruel acts."

Additionally, Professor Shin Ui-jin, a pediatric psychiatrist at Yonsei University who counseled the victim for a long time, analyzed that Jo Doo-soon's animal abuse closely resembled his sexual assault crime from 12 years ago.

Professor Shin pointed out, "(Jo Doo-soon) turned on cold water to wash away the bloodstains at the crime scene and just left the victim child alone. It was winter, and if the child had been left alone for a long time, they could have died from shock. What is different from stabbing a puppy's eye to death? The aggression is uncontrollable and abnormally strong, which is the same."

'Serial killer' Kang Ho-soon. Photo by Yonhap News

As experts have pointed out, other criminals like Kang Ho-soon and Yoo Young-chul also committed brutal animal abuse. Kang Ho-soon killed eight women, including his mother-in-law and wife, from September 2006 to December 2008.

Before the crimes, he also cruelly killed dogs at the slaughterhouse he operated. He testified, "Because I slaughtered many dogs, killing people felt nothing, and I couldn't suppress the urge to kill." The slaughterhouse Kang Ho-soon owned was essentially a 'practice ground' for his crimes.

A close acquaintance of Kang Ho-soon said, "(He) slaughtered many dogs," adding, "He hung them and slaughtered them in the old traditional way." He continued, "He froze and starved the dogs brought to the farm during winter and killed all 50 of them."

Yoo Young-chul. Photo by Yonhap News

Yoo Young-chul, who brutally murdered 21 elderly people and women from 2003 to 2004, is also known to have practiced killing on dogs just before his first crime. He testified that he chose the tools for his crimes through this process.

Professor Kim Sang-gyun of Baekseok University's Department of Police Science said on JTBC's 'Murderers, Memories of Animal Abuse' broadcast, "Looking at Yoo Young-chul's behavior, he tore apart frogs with a knife and dissected their internal organs," suggesting he had a kind of 'obsession with animal organs.'

Professor Gong Jeong-sik of the Korea Psychological Science Center explained on the same broadcast, "When Yoo Young-chul committed serial murders, he treated victims as if killing animals."

Lee Young-hak brutally murdered his daughter's friend
[Photo by Yonhap News]

Meanwhile, Lee Young-hak, the so-called 'Eogeumni Appa,' who was sentenced to life imprisonment in October 2017 for luring, murdering, and abandoning his daughter's friend, said in court testimony that his daughter obeyed him out of fear because "she had seen me kill six dogs with a hammer when I was angry."

Experts view this common trait among serial killers as a kind of preliminary step before committing their crimes. Consequently, investigative authorities manage such situations to prevent these individuals from escalating to more horrific crimes.

Since 2016, the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has regarded animal abuse as a major crime, equivalent to homicide, and has been compiling statistics on animal-related crimes. According to this, the FBI categorizes animal abuse into four types: 'neglect,' 'abuse,' 'group abuse (such as dogfighting),' and 'sexual abuse,' and manages them intensively.

Moreover, research shows that people who commit animal abuse also commit crimes against humans. A study by Northeastern University in Boston found that 70% of animal abusers committed at least one other crime, and 40% committed violent crimes against people. The research team explained that traces of animal abuse were found in 30% of male offenders, 30% of child molesters, 36% of domestic violence perpetrators, and 46% of murderers.

Meanwhile, child sex offender Jo Doo-soon will be released on the 12th after serving 12 years. Just before his release, he will be fitted with an electronic tracking device called an 'electronic anklet' and will step out of the prison gates. He will wear this anklet for seven years after release and be under 24-hour one-on-one close surveillance by a designated probation officer.

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