[Seocho-dong Legal Talk] "Minister of Justice, Have You Requested Extradition of the Criminal?"

'Half Trial' Lee Hee-jin Parents Murder Case
Trial Proceeding Without 3 Accomplices Who Fled to China

[Asia Economy Reporter Seongpil Jo] It was a 'lucky day.' On February 25, 2019, the Lee couple sold a Bugatti Veyron driven by their eldest son. They received 1.5 billion KRW. The Lee couple was carrying 500 million KRW, part of the payment, in a bag on their way home. As they reached the apartment entrance, four unfamiliar men were waiting. They claimed to be police officers. After presenting a warrant, they said, "You are under emergency arrest for violating the Foreign Exchange Control Act," and pushed the Lee couple inside their home. Handcuffs were placed on the couple’s wrists. Mr. Lee grew suspicious and resisted. "Are you really police?" He was struck on the head several times with an object and collapsed.

The Lee couple’s younger son filed a missing person report with the police in March of that year, saying "I have not been able to contact my parents for a long time." When the police visited the Lee couple’s home, the house was clean and there was no sign of anyone. Just as the police were about to leave without any results, a corpse was found inside a wardrobe. It was the mother of the reporter and wife of Mr. Lee, Ms. Hwang. The case immediately shifted from a missing person case to a murder case. The couple’s eldest son was Lee Hee-jin, known as the 'stock millionaire of Cheongdam-dong.' This is the so-called 'Lee Hee-jin Parents Murder Case.'

Kim Da-woon, who is on trial as the main perpetrator in the 'Lee Hee-jin Parents Murder Case'
[Image source=Yonhap News]

The main suspect denies the crime... The court is in dilemma

The police launched an investigation and arrested a prime suspect. He was a Korean national in his 30s named Kim Da-woon. Police investigations revealed that it was a thoroughly planned crime. Kim posted a message on an online job site on February 16 of that year to recruit accomplices. After premeditation, on the day of the crime, they attached a GPS tracker to the Lee couple’s vehicle at dawn to monitor their movements before carrying out the crime. It was concluded that after Lee Hee-jin was imprisoned on charges of illegal stock trading and other offenses, he likely transferred money to his parents, making them the targets of the crime. The police charged Lee with robbery-murder, corpse mutilation, and other offenses and sent the case to the prosecution. However, the other three accomplices, who were Chinese-Korean, fled to China on the day of the crime and were never caught. Interpol issued red notices for them.

Kim claimed at trial that "the accomplices killed the Lee couple and mutilated the bodies." He denied conspiring or participating in the murder and corpse mutilation. The court was in a dilemma. The accomplices who were at the crime scene fled to China, making it impossible to verify their statements. The court stated, "There are limitations in precisely identifying who directly committed the acts against the victims, the circumstances leading to their deaths, and the exact time of death." However, based on circumstantial evidence such as the time Kim stayed at the crime scene and the purchase of bleach and duct tape on the day of the incident, the first and second trial courts judged Kim to be the perpetrator and sentenced him to life imprisonment.

Kim Byung-han, then Chief of the Criminal Division at Anyang Dongan Police Station, announcing the investigation results of the murder case of Lee Hee-jin's parents in March 2019.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

Ministry of Justice and prosecution unable to confirm whether to request extradition of criminals

The police reportedly conveyed the opinion that a request for extradition was necessary for the three specific accomplices when sending Kim to the prosecution. Under the Extradition Act, when a criminal is abroad, the authority to request extradition or emergency detention lies with the Minister of Justice. Prosecutors can recommend or request this from the Minister of Justice. However, the Ministry of Justice remains silent when asked about whether they have requested extradition for the three accomplices. The reason given is "It is difficult to comment due to diplomatic relations and confidentiality obligations." The prosecution gave a similar response, stating "Extradition is a matter under investigation, so we cannot disclose information."

Kim is currently awaiting a Supreme Court verdict. He appealed on the grounds that the lower court’s ruling, which found him guilty of murder and corpse mutilation, involved factual errors. The Supreme Court reviews legal errors in the second trial’s judgment and does not re-examine factual matters. It is unlikely that Kim’s appeal will be accepted. Without even investigating the accomplices once, the 'Lee Hee-jin Parents Murder Case' is likely to be closed. Compared to the initial police investigation in March 2019, the case will be concluded without making any substantive progress toward the truth.

At the time the case was transferred to the prosecution in March 2019, the Minister of Justice was former Minister Park Sang-ki. Since then, former Ministers Cho Kuk and Choo Mi-ae have served, and currently Minister Park Beom-gye is in office. More than two and a half years have passed. The question must be asked: "Minister, have you requested extradition for the three accomplices?"

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