Shaman’s Charcoal Torture Kills Brainwashed Niece

Published October 8, 2025 By admin

The full details of a 70-year-old female shaman’s brutal murder of her niece by exposing her to prolonged charcoal heat have been revealed. The shaman is believed to have manipulated her niece and other family members through long-term brainwashing, making them dependent on her, before committing the crime when the niece refused to comply.

According to a Yonhap News report on the 8th, the shaman, identified as Shim Mo (80 years old), has posed as a spirit medium since receiving a divine calling in 1986, 39 years ago. She operated a religious gathering at a shrine in Hampyeong County, South Jeolla Province, where participants confessed their sins and performed rituals, collecting offerings in return.

Shim’s younger sister, Ms. A, was also a follower. Shim demanded offerings from Ms. A, claiming, “Your daughter resents you and seeks to kill you because she was your father’s lover in a past life.” Since 2007, Ms. A, who ran a restaurant in Incheon’s Bupyeong District, transferred tens of millions of won in offerings to Shim over several years.

Shim’s demands persisted. When her restaurant business in Jeju Island suffered due to the COVID-19 pandemic, she targeted Ms. A’s restaurant. She told Ms. A, “Your daughter, who was your father’s lover in a past life, hates and wants to kill you. If you leave the restaurant, I will take good care of her,” forcing Ms. A to move to Ulleungdo with only her son and daughter.

Shim then registered a business in the name of Ms. A’s daughter, Ms. B (35 years old), and began operating the restaurant. She did not stop there, assigning Ms. B tasks like cooking, serving, and managing sales and purchases, while Ms. B’s older brother prepared meats. All profits were directed to Shim’s account.

The conflict escalated when Ms. B, unable to endure the intense workload, refused Shim’s demands. Last summer, Ms. B left the restaurant drunk and collapsed on the street. From September of the same year, she stopped sending restaurant profits to Shim and began using the funds directly. When Ms. B announced her intention to quit the restaurant and move to Ulleungdo to be with her parents, Shim pretended to drive her away in a van on September 18 of last year but returned to the restaurant.

This marked the start of Shim’s “torture.” She claimed to Ms. B, “To remove the evil spirit that wants to kill your mother, I will perform a ritual using charcoal. Once the spirit is gone, I will grant your wishes.”

The method was brutal. Shim enlisted followers and her own children to build an iron structure, forced Ms. B to lie face down on it, and bound her. A basin filled with burning charcoal was placed under Ms. B. As she convulsed, Shim stuffed charcoal into her mouth, gagged her, and repeatedly slapped her. The assault lasted about three hours until Ms. B lost consciousness and suffered severe burns across her upper body.

Even after Ms. B lost consciousness, Shim’s accomplices waited two hours before calling 119. They hid the iron structure and other tools used in the crime. When paramedics arrived, they lied, saying, “We spilled charcoal.” Ms. B was transported to a hospital but died from multiple organ failure caused by the burns.

However, the entire process was captured on surveillance cameras. Police charged them with causing injury resulting in death and transferred the case to prosecutors, who indicted them for murder after further investigation.

During the trial, Shim and her accomplices showed no remorse, claiming, “Our intention was to treat the victim’s abnormal behavior, and there was no intent to kill.” Ms. B’s parents defended Shim, saying, “The defendants tried to help my daughter but ended up in this unfortunate situation. If punishment is necessary, give it to me instead.”

The court sentenced Shim to life imprisonment and her four accomplices, including her children, to 20–25 years in prison. Two others, including Ms. B’s older brother and cousin, who were charged with aiding murder, received 10 years each.

According to the ruling, Incheon District Court’s Criminal Division 16 (Presiding Judge Yoon Yi-jin) stated, “Shim consistently made implausible excuses in court, blaming the victim or the hospital while claiming her own innocence. Even after the victim’s death, she took commemorative photos with other defendants in Ulleungdo, showing no guilt or genuine remorse.”

The court added, “The attitudes of the accomplices and the victim’s mother in court suggest they are still under Shim’s psychological control, indicating a high risk of recidivism. To prevent reoffending and protect society from such a heinous crime, the defendant must be permanently isolated from society.”

Content retrieved from: https://www.chosun.com/english/national-en/2025/10/08/6BREPRDTNNFDTDV2BPX2AHWCBI/.