Kang Ho-sun

Kang Ho-sun (born October 10, 1969) is a South Korean serial killer who was sentenced to death in 2010 for killing 10 women between October 2005 and December 2008, including his wife and her mother.



Murders
The murders took place in Ansan, Gyeonggi Province, a suburb of Seoul. His first victim was a karaoke bar employee named Bae, 45, followed by three others in 2007 including a 48-year-old housewife and a 21-year-old student from Suwon; their bodies were found in the woods. Kang was arrested in 2009 and after two days of investigation, he confessed to 10 murders. More remains of his victims were discovered and identified using DNA evidence. The victims' families sued Kang for damages.

His crimes were depicted in the 2022 South Korean TV series, Through the Darkness.

Trial and sentence
After confessing to murdering 10 women, Kang was found guilty of rape, murder and arson and a court in Ansan sentenced him to death on April 22, 2009. While death by hanging remains on the country's statute books, an informal moratorium on the Korean death sentence has been in place since 1997.

Confirmed victims

 * Kang's wife, 29, and her mother, 60, on October 30, 2005
 * Yoon Jung-hyun, 23, on September 7, 2006
 * Bae Kyung-mi, 45, karaoke bar employee in Gunpo on December 14, 2006
 * Park Sung-ah, 37, karaoke bar employee in Suwon on December 24, 2006
 * Park Jung-ja, 52, office worker in Hwaseong on January 3, 2007
 * Kim Hae-young, 37, karaoke bar employee in Anyang on January 6, 2007
 * Yeon Mi-young, 21, university student in Suwon on January 7, 2007
 * Kim Soo-hee, 48, housewife in Suwon on November 9, 2008
 * Ahn Young-ok, 19, university student in Ansan on December 19, 2008

Prison life
During his early days in prison, Kang acted like a boss to fellow inmates and never seemed apologetic or remorseful, according to a prison officer. Kang is said to have realized his position only after Jeong Nam-gyu, a serial killer also on death row, died by suicide because of the pressure of the death penalty.