The mother of a victim from the “Changwon Motel Murder Case” has spoken out to clear up misunderstandings surrounding the death of her 8th-grade son.
In the KBS Joy variety show ‘Ask Anything’ aired on the 18th, the mother appeared to share her story. The “Changwon Motel Murder Case” occurred on December 3 last year, when a man in his 20s attacked three middle school students in a motel room, resulting in two deaths.
During the broadcast, she shared her pain, saying, “It’s been so hard because the truth hasn’t been revealed even though my son is gone.”
She recalled the day, explaining, “It was my son’s father’s birthday on the day his final exams ended. Since the exams finished early, he said he’d go play with his friends. I told him to be home by dinner and waited for him.”
However, her son didn’t answer his phone. Around 6:30 PM, she received a call from the school saying the police were asking for the parents’ contact information. She rushed to the emergency room, only to be told by a doctor upon arrival that her son had passed away.
Her son’s body had already been moved to the morgue, and she was only able to see his face at the funeral home after the autopsy was completed.
Tears streaming down her face, she recalled, “When I finally saw my child, he was wrapped in plastic, and only his eyes and nose were visible. They told me they couldn’t show other parts because of the autopsy.”
She revealed that the news reports following the funeral caused even more pain. She expressed her frustration, stating, “National news was reporting that my child was a delinquent who beat people with wooden sticks, extorted money, and was involved in prostitution.”
She explained the actual situation: “My son, his friend, his girlfriend, and her friend were hanging out at a karaoke room. The middle school girls said a ‘high school senior’ was threatening them and they had to leave. Six minutes later, he got a call saying the girlfriend was trapped in a motel. My son went there to save the girls, but the reports made him look like a troublemaker.”
Hearing this, MC Lee Soo-geun lamented, “To not even see your son’s face properly and then have him portrayed as a juvenile delinquent… for a parent, that must feel like the child was killed a second time. It’s so heartbreaking.”
She revealed that the perpetrator was actually a 26-year-old child sex offender who had pretended to be a high school senior. “He was released last June and killed the children just five months later,” she said. She added that the perpetrator died after slipping while trying to jump out of a window.
Lee Soo-geun expressed anger upon hearing the case was closed due to the perpetrator’s death, saying, “He should have been punished.”
Wanting to correct the misinformation, she said, “My son was active, never fought with friends, and always attended his academies until late.”
She sobbed, adding, “Every time I sit at our four-person dining table and see his empty seat, I cry. I cry when I see his toothbrush in the bathroom, and I cry whenever I see other middle school students walking by.”
She lamented that the misunderstandings persist, saying, “Not long ago, a YouTube post claimed the children in the ‘Changwon Motel Murder Case’ died while going for prostitution. The hateful comments continue. Even when I meet neighbors or acquaintances, they tell me, ‘Kids can be like that, don’t resent them too much.'”
Through tears, she continued, “I don’t hold resentment. My son was stabbed first. In that moment, he shouted for his friends to run. The survivors’ testimonies are consistent that he tried to open the door to get them out.”
“That was the time I kept calling him because he wasn’t coming home. It’s so painful to think about how much he must have wanted to answer his mother’s call while he was dying,” she said.
She emphasized, “He was absolutely not the kind of thug people think he was. The killer murdered the children based on his own twisted emotions.”
Finally, she said, “I feel I must tell my second child that his older brother died heroically while trying to save someone. I really want to tell the world how righteous my son was until the moment he died.”
Lee Soo-geun offered comfort, saying, “Please stay strong. You still have your second child. You should focus on the remaining child. If you only show your sadness, it will be very hard for the other child. I think this is a parent’s fate and their homework.” He urged her to give the remaining child the love she couldn’t give her son and to show a determination to return to daily life as soon as possible.
The mother broke down in tears, saying to her late son, “I’m sorry I couldn’t protect you. Mommy loves you the most,” adding to the heartbreaking atmosphere.
