Chijon family


The Chijon family was a South Korean gang. The gang was founded in 1993 by Kim Ki-hwan, a former convict, and six other former prisoners and unemployed workers who shared his grudge against the rich. 'Chijon' is a name given to the gang by prosecutors working on the case — Kim had originally named his gang the Mascan, a supposed Greek word for 'ambition'.

Criminal activities

Kim ordered his gang members to kidnap wealthy people to extort money from their families. The gang's hatred of the rich led them to systematically kill some of the highest paying consumers at one of the most exclusive department stores in Seoul. The six gang members were found guilty of murdering five people in 1994, burying some of the corpses on remote hillsides and burning the rest in an incinerator that was specifically installed in the cellar of their hide-out for disposal of the bodies.

Acts of violence

One gang member admitted to dismembering his victims and eating their flesh, saying this was to fire up his courage and to renounce his humanity. The gang, emboldened by a series of successful murders and kidnappings, decided that they needed a more effective way to pick out wealthy victims. They were able to buy the mailing list from Seoul's exclusive Hyundai department store from a disgruntled worker. The list contained the names of the shop's 1,200 best customers who paid with credit cards. From this list, they chose their next victims.

Death sentencing

On November 1, 1994, the Chijon family was sentenced to death for the murder of five people. After sentencing, none of the murderers showed any trace of remorse. One told television reporters before his trial that his only regret was that he had not killed more rich kids.
On November 2, 1995, all members of the Chijon family were executed.