Brother of hiking trail murder victim laments sister's death

The scene of the crime: a park of Sillim district, Gwanak-gu, Seoul on Friday (Joint Press Corp.)

The brother of the woman who was murdered along a Sillim-dong hiking trail has shared the story of what the bereaved family has been through in a recent online post, since the brutal attempted rape and death of the 35-year-old teacher in August 2023.

In a crime that shocked the nation, a then-30-year-old man named Choi Yoon-jong followed the victim, surnamed Gong, to a remote area along a hiking trail in Gwanak-gu, southern Seoul, before attacking her with the intent to rape her. He then fatally injured the victim by repeatedly beating her with brass knuckles, resulting in the victim dying two days later while being treated at a local hospital.

Choi was sentenced to life in prison last month, with the bereaved family members crying in court, "Why save a man who is worse than a dog?"

Gong's brother said he did not believe it at first when police told him that his sister was braindead, before the officer showed him his business card, which made him trust him. The family went straight to Seoul to find Gong heavily bruised and on life support.

"I've been a madman since her death," he wrote, saying malicious comments had been tortuous to the family. He said he has stopped working since the incident in August, and his mother has been "a living corpse," unable to leave home.

Gong's brother said she had been a model child, who had never asked once for financial support from her parents since enrolling at the Seoul National University of Education. He said he was infuriated that her death had come at the hands of Choi, whom he described as "a real idiot."

"The perpetrator's family has still not apologized to us, and I heard that they moved away and is going on about their lives. We as the victim's family have to live on, simply because we cannot die. Is that justice?" he wrote.

After struggling to accept the reality, the bereaved family is now preparing for the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education's review on Wednesday to determine whether the victim can be considered to have been killed on duty. Gong had been commuting to her school when she was attacked on Aug. 17, 2023, which the bereaved family said constitutes her being killed while on duty.

"Wednesday is the day of my sister's review, and I hope (the SMOE) will reach a righteous decision," he wrote.

When an employee of the government, including teachers, dies while on the job, the bereaved family are given financial compensation equal to 24 times the victim's average monthly income.

Korean Federation of Teachers' Associations has been aiding the bereaved family's quest to ensure that Gong's death is recognized as having happened while on duty, submitting petition letters by some 16,000 of its members requesting the SMOE to accept the bereaved family's request.

By Yoon Min-sik(minsikyoon@heraldcorp.com)