The latest episode of SBS’s “Kkokkomu” (The Story of the Day That Bites the Tail), aired on the 21st, tracked a series of mysterious deaths that occurred on Seoul city buses back in the 1980s.
In 1988, several deaths happened in quick succession. The bodies found at the scenes shared eerie similarities, such as blue-tinted faces and foam around their lips, sparking suspicion.
The victims were middle-aged women in their 40s who suffered sudden deaths on buses, despite having no known medical conditions or being involved in traffic accidents.
Suspecting foul play, police requested an analysis from the National Forensic Service, which detected cyanide. It was concluded that the victims had died after ingesting the poison.
During the investigation, police focused on a woman linked to the victims: 49-year-old Kim Sun-ja.
The investigation expanded after reports of a similar death two years prior. It was revealed that Kim Sun-ja had helped the victim onto a bus before suddenly disappearing. Police discovered another suspected victim who was also an acquaintance of Kim.
Suspicion grew as Kim’s father and sister had also died around the same time. Her father was initially thought to have died of natural causes due to geriatric heart failure, and her sister passed away just one month after her father’s burial.
To find a connection, police decided to exhume the bodies. The results were shocking: cyanide was detected in their systems as well.
Despite the evidence, Kim Sun-ja calmly denied all charges. However, investigators were horrified to find jewelry, luxury goods, and valuables stolen from the victims in her home. Shockingly, it was revealed that she had even searched her sister’s wardrobe to steal items while her sister was hospitalized after being poisoned, lying to her nephew about it.
After a persistent investigation, police found cyanide hidden in a hole in the wall of Kim’s bathroom, leading to her identification and arrest as a serial killer.
Even after her arrest, Kim remained indifferent and even blamed the victims. Experts noted her distinct lack of emotion and her obsession with gambling and pleasure, stating that her lifestyle and emotional state clearly showed psychopathic tendencies, even killing her own relatives for money.
Kim Sun-ja was eventually sentenced to death and executed. She remained unrepentant until the end, stating, “I wanted to live and enjoy myself to my heart’s content. If I am born again, I don’t want to be born poor,” and adding, “I am dying so unfairly.”
The broadcast also revealed a failed attempt at murder. One victim survived because the cyanide was mixed into Yulmu-cha (Job’s tears tea) instead of Ssanghwa-cha. An expert explained that the neutral nature of Yulmu-cha, unlike the strongly acidic Ssanghwa-cha, helped the victim survive.
In a chilling detail, it was revealed that Kim later visited the survivor and calmly asked, “Are you feeling okay?”
