'What Is It?' Traces the 2024 Incheon Charcoal Exorcism Murder Case of a Woman in Her 30s

*This content was translated by AI.

SBS's 'What Is It?' will cover the key issues of the second-instance verdict and the whereabouts of the perpetrators in the May 30 Incheon charcoal exorcism murder case.

The incident occurred on September 18, 2024, at a restaurant in Incheon. A woman in her 30s was tied to a steel angle, followed by a charcoal exorcism ritual lasting approximately three hours. The victim died from severe third-degree burns covering 25% of her body.

Yoo Seong-ho (Prof.) (Seoul National University Department of Forensic Medicine) stated, "When more than 20% of the body surface is burned, the blood vessels evaporate completely," and described it as "an unimaginable agony where even the nerves are completely destroyed."

The perpetrators were a shaman and the victim's aunt, Ms. Kim (pseudonym), along with her cousins. In the first trial, Ms. Kim was sentenced to life imprisonment, the accomplices received sentences of 20 years or more, and the victim's older brother was sentenced to 10 years in prison.

However, in April, the second-instance court changed the charge from murder to intentional injury resulting in death. The second-instance court ruled that there was no intent or plan to kill and that the death could not have been anticipated. Ms. Kim's sentence was reduced to seven years in prison, and six accomplices received suspended sentences of three years or less.

A friend of the victim expressed sorrow, saying, "How can the sentence be reduced so drastically?" and "The deceased cannot speak for themselves or defend themselves."

The second-instance court noted that the victim had also consented to the exorcism ritual and that Ms. Kim was not in financial hardship. The production team reported securing an autopsy report and portions of on-site CCTV footage that had not been previously released. The program will air at 11:10 p.m. on May 30.

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*This content was translated by AI.