"The Brave Seize the Beauty" Shillim Choi Yoonjong's Shocking Memo

"Busan Dolleochagi Incident Sparks Copycat Crime Plans" Statement
Victim of the Incident: "That's Not Courage, It's a Crime"

Choi Yoon-jong (30), who is accused of sexually assaulting and murdering a woman in her 30s on a hiking trail in Sillim-dong, Gwanak-gu, Seoul, testified that he planned the crime after watching the 'Busan Dolleokchagi Incident' and also wrote a memo affirming the crime with phrases such as "The brave take the beauty." In response, the victim of the 'Busan Dolleokchagi Incident' strongly criticized, saying, "That is not bravery but a crime," and "A monster created by the judicial system."

Victim of the 'Busan Dolleokchagi Incident' Angered by Copycat Crime and Crime Affirmation Memo

Choi Yoon-jong, 30, the sexual assault and murder suspect in Sillim-dong, released by the police.
[Photo by Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency]

According to the prosecution on the 12th, Choi Yoon-jong planned the crime after reading multiple recent articles related to murder. In particular, he testified that after watching the report on the 'Busan Dolleokchagi Incident' last May, where a woman in her 20s was indiscriminately assaulted and lost consciousness while returning home, he planned to knock out the victim and commit the crime in a place without closed-circuit television (CCTV).

Additionally, memos affirming the crime, such as "The brave take the beauty" and "Humans must seize opportunities," were found on Choi Yoon-jong’s cellphone.

Photo posted by the victim of the 'Busan 돌려차기 incident' on their social networking service (SNS). The sentence "The brave get the beauty" has been changed to "If you commit a crime, you get imprisonment." [Photo by Instagram capture]

Regarding this, the victim A of the Busan Dolleokchagi Incident said through her social networking service (SNS), "As soon as this case (Choi Yoon-jong case) happened, I couldn’t shake off a strange feeling unlike other cases," and added, "It is ultimately a copycat crime."

A said, "'The brave take the beauty' is a commonly used phrase, but that is not bravery, it is a crime," and expressed anger, saying, "It seems that more and more people are not learning even basic common sense. Like stalking offenders who don’t understand that 'No means no.'"

She continued, "Even at this moment, the perpetrator’s identity in the (Dolleokchagi) case has not been disclosed, and reductions in sentencing are still possible due to remorse, admission, diminished mental capacity, or first offense," she pointed out.

Finally, A emphasized, "This article proves that the perpetrator is a 'monster created by the judicial system,' and I only hope that someday the judicial system will also consider the feelings of victims."

Choi Yoon-jong Planned Crime While Watching Reports for Four Months... "Lacks Social Skills"

Choi Yoon-jong, accused of sexually assaulting and murdering a woman on a hiking trail in Sillim-dong, was transferred to the prosecution at the Gwanak Police Station in Seoul on the 25th of last month. Photo by Kang Jin-hyung aymsdream@

Meanwhile, it was revealed that about four months before the crime, Choi Yoon-jong purchased a metal knuckle from an online shopping mall, selected candidate crime locations without CCTV, and visited the hiking trail, the crime scene, dozens of times.

Then, on the morning of the 17th of last month at 11:32 a.m., Choi Yoon-jong decided to sexually assault the victim on a hiking trail in a park located in Sillim-dong. Wearing the knuckle, he struck the victim’s head multiple times with his fist. After the victim collapsed, he climbed on top of her body, strangled her to death by choking. The sexual assault was reportedly attempted but not completed.

Due to Choi Yoon-jong’s crime, the victim woman was left at the scene for about 20 minutes without pulse, breathing, or consciousness. It was reported that even while the police arrived and performed cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) on the victim, Choi Yoon-jong asked for water, saying he was thirsty.

Before the crime, Choi Yoon-jong was unemployed and, aside from posting short messages on a gaming-related community, he did not form close relationships with others. The prosecution believes that, lacking social skills, he decided to commit the crime after reading articles related to sexual assault and other crimes, with the purpose of satisfying sexual desires.