Lee Sujeong explains why the Jeong Yujeong case involved impersonation of an 'elite university student'...

Professor Lee Sujeong SBS Radio Interview
"Seemed to Strongly Admire Victim's Status"

Professor Lee Soo-jung of Kyonggi University's Department of Criminal Psychology pointed to the keyword "growth process" in relation to the reason why she analyzed the motive of Jeong Yoo-jeong (23), who is accused of murdering a peer woman she met through an online tutoring application (app), dismembering the body, and abandoning it, as "stealing the identity of a prestigious university student."

On the 7th, Professor Lee appeared on SBS Radio's 'Kim Tae-hyun's Political Show' and said, "(It is) a part that needs to be confirmed through investigation," but added, "It is necessary to pay attention to Jeong Yoo-jeong's growth process."

She said, "She was separated from her parents at a young age and attended school, but was in a considerably maladjusted state and graduated from high school very quietly and introvertedly," and pointed out, "The problem is that for the following five years, she had no social relationships at all. There was not a single friend on her phone."

She continued, "In the end, there is a very high possibility that she lived in a fantasy, or to put it simply, a misconception that various behaviors tolerated in cyberspace would also be tolerated in the real offline world," and said, "One reason is that she was obsessed with crime-related content during that time."

Professor Lee Su-jeong, Department of Criminal Psychology, Kyonggi University. Photo by Huh Younghan younghan@

Professor Lee said, "Offline, a great intellectual would be respected, but in cyberspace, those with the most clicks and popularity are the most respected." She added, "Then, this person's basic hope is to make money somehow, which is why the tutoring app emerged," and said, "The most popular person there would probably be someone in a similar position who graduated from a prestigious university."

She explained, "In the end, cyberspace is a place where, as long as you have an ID, you can solve all your basic needs," and said, "When thinking about what she wanted to do there, she judged that there was nothing more strongly admired than the victim's identity."

Regarding the psychopathy diagnosis of Jeong Yoo-jeong, she said, "Once a certain level is exceeded, it only shows that psychopathic traits are clear, but saying it is abnormal is not exactly accurate," and explained, "There is a standard using 6 points, and a higher standard using 25 points. If the score far exceeds 25 points, it can be judged as psychopathy."

She continued, "(Jeong Yoo-jeong) seems to have a score slightly higher than the average level of ordinary criminals," and said, "The problem is that if there is no criminal record, it is difficult for this checklist to exceed 25 points." However, she added, "Even with just temperament and character, scoring over 6 points can be considered quite high."