Singer and actress Son Dam-bi expressed her outrage after uncovering the truth behind the 'Cyanide Makgeolli Murder Case' on the show 'The Story of That Day's Tail'. Meanwhile, Son Dam-bi has tied the knot with former national figure skater Lee Kyu-hyun.
On the October 26th episode of SBS's 'The Story of That Day's Tail' (commonly known as 'Kkokomu'), the show delved into the details of the case titled 'Who is the Real Culprit? - The Suncheon Cyanide Makgeolli Case', revealing the full story and retrial process of a case where the accused were found not guilty after 16 years. Son Dam-bi, broadcaster Lee Guk-joo, and band Lucy's Shin Ye-chan participated as listeners.
The incident occurred in September 2009 in a rural village in Suncheon, South Jeolla Province. After drinking makgeolli together, a woman in her 50s, identified as Choi, and another resident died. The makgeolli had turned black, and a lethal dose of cyanide (potassium cyanide) was detected. This incident later became known as the 'Cyanide Makgeolli Murder Case'.
After an investigation, prosecutors announced they had identified the culprits: the victim's husband and daughter. They claimed the father and daughter had placed the cyanide-laced makgeolli inside the house, pretending someone else had left it, and that the father handed it to his wife. Prosecutors alleged they had planned the crime for about a month and committed murder during their 15-year immoral relationship. In 2012, the court sentenced the daughter to 20 years in prison and the father to life imprisonment.
The case seemed closed until 12 years later when retrial specialist lawyer Park Jun-young brought a turning point. He stated, "I was shocked watching the footage," and expressed his dismay at how people could be trampled and used as a means to an end, feeling it was a devastating view of human rights and dignity.
The CCTV footage of the prosecution's investigation revealed the process of coerced confessions. Investigators were seen leading the narrative and pressuring the daughter to implicate her father as an accomplice. Experts suggested the daughter might have been psychologically vulnerable to such pressure.
The father also faced intense pressure during the investigation. He expressed guilt to his wife, but it was about bringing the makgeolli into the house. However, prosecutors manipulated this into a murder confession. To protect his daughter, the father eventually made a false confession. The participants were left speechless by the footage. Son Dam-bi commented, "He must have only thought about protecting his daughter," expressing her sympathy. Lawyer Park Jun-young expressed his anger, saying, "They completely destroyed a family. How could they turn innocent people into heinous criminals?"
In January 2022, a retrial application was submitted, and the court accepted it. Along with the retrial commencement, a suspension of sentence execution was ordered, marking a first in South Korean judicial history. This allowed the father and daughter to be released from prison after 12 years.
During the broadcast, the father and daughter revealed their faces through 'Kkokomu'. The father, who was 59 at the time, was now 75. He struggled to speak about the past, saying, "I can't describe it. It's just unbelievable." The daughter, who was interviewed for the first time since the incident, had aged from a young 25 to a middle-aged 41. When asked about her prison life, she hesitantly said, "It was tough," and admitted, "I couldn't look at my father. I only felt guilt because of me," moving viewers to tears.
During the retrial, new evidence emerged. Over 70 pieces of evidence, not submitted by the prosecution, indicated the father and daughter's innocence. It was revealed that the circumstances of purchasing the makgeolli and the amount of cyanide did not match the prosecution's claims. Listeners were unanimously shocked, saying, "It's chilling," and "It's shameless. I can't understand it."
In October 2025, the retrial court acquitted the father and daughter, 16 years after the incident. However, the case was not entirely closed. Police records suggested the existence of another suspect, and in November 2025, the police announced a full reinvestigation of the case. Finally, the father conveyed his heartfelt message through a letter he wrote, "I have lived my life looking only forward," bringing tears to the listeners.
Reporter Se-yoon Jung, TenAsia yoon@tenasia.co.kr