Kang Chang-gu

Kang Chang-gu (; 1957 – April 17, 1990) was a South Korean serial killer and rapist responsible for the murders of six women in Gongju and the surrounding area from 1983 to 1987, committed out of his self-described misogynistic beliefs. Convicted and sentenced to death for these crimes, he was subsequently hanged in 1990.

Early life Kang Chang-gu was born in 1957 in Anseong, Gyeonggi Province as the youngest of three brothers and one sister, but the family moved to Gongju when he was just two. He lost both of his parents at an early age and had to be looked after by his older brother, rendering his early life difficult. Kang, who had strabismus, limped in one leg due to polio and began suffering from epileptic fits when he was a teenager, was often shunned and bullied by his peers due to his appearance. The fact that girls and later women avoided him with open disgust caused Kang to harbor feelings of resentment towards people of the opposite sex, eventually culminating in a perverse desire to release his anger by sexually violating and abusing women who had nothing to do with him. He eventually dropped out of school, and shifted jobs as a carpenter and hairdresser to earn his money. was walking by a mountain road near Useong-myeon during broad daylight, when a man appeared from the forest and threatened her with a sickle.

Investigation and arrest After the discovery of the two women's bodies, a task force of as many of 60 homicide detectives was formed to resolve the cases. Kang did not resist his arrest, and simply calmly said that "[he] knew [the police] would come to catch [him]."

Trial, imprisonment, and execution For his crimes, Kang Chang-gu was convicted of the six murders and sentenced to death. At his trial, he expressed remorse for his actions and cried when the verdict was announced. While awaiting execution at the Seoul Detention Center in Uiwang, he converted to Catholicism. On April 17, 1990, Kang was among nine violent criminals to be hanged for their respective crimes; he and several others offered to donate their eyes and kidneys for science as a sign of penance.