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https://n.news.naver.com/mnews/article/052/0002288540?sid=102 ◆ Reporter Park Gwi-bin: On November 17th, a shocking incident occurred where a woman in her 30s was found in her home, her entire body contaminated with feces, and covered in maggots. This woman was experiencing widespread necrosis. They say maggots were crawling all over the decaying areas, and ultimately, she was taken to the hospital but died of sepsis. But the husband, who lived with her, claimed he 'had no idea' about his wife's condition, even with the necrosis and maggots, which caused further controversy. The military prosecutor has indicted the husband, who is a professional soldier, on murder charges. We will discuss the Paju NCO wife death case with a profiler. We connect now with profiler Bae Sang-hoon. Hello, Profiler-nim. ◇ Bae Sang-hoon: Hello. ◆ Park: Another case that makes you truly question how such a thing could happen has occurred. Could you briefly summarize the incident? ◇ Bae Sang-hoon: Yes, this is the case where a military NCO in his late 30s neglected his wife, who was the same age, at home, leading to her death. The state of neglect was so horrific that it was widely reported in the media, and various public debates arose: 'When did she die?', 'Did the husband really not know?' (as you mentioned), and 'What was the motive?' While I want to provide more specific details, due to the extremely gruesome nature of the crime scene, I won't go further. However, I believe she died at the scene. She was likely stuck, unable to move, sitting in a comfortable armchair, and it is highly likely that she was intentionally forced into that state. The investigation is exploring this possibility. This incident itself suggests a site of severe abuse.

(Omitted middle section) ◆ Park: Okay, let's go over the facts one by one. Although this incident has been widely reported and even broadcast through various programs, many parts remain incomprehensible even after seeing them. First, this went on for months, leading to necrosis, maggots, and decay. I imagine the stench must have been horrible. The firefighter who entered the scene said the 'smell of feces was incredibly strong.' Yet the husband claimed, 'I didn't know my wife's condition.' Why would he say this? It's impossible not to know. ◇ Bae Sang-hoon: Exactly. To elaborate, she was almost half-lying in the chair, and the flesh on the backs of her thighs and calves was completely fused to it. They say it "melted." That is beyond mere decay. The stench of decomposition was severe, and what's even more shocking is that her entire body was covered in feces. If she couldn't move herself, who put the feces on her? Isn't that strange? It is correct to assume the victim was abused, stuck in that chair, unable to move at all. The husband's claim of ignorance is 100% a lie. You can see it visually. You can see the maggots crawling up, and things spilling out because the decay drips downward. His explanation is just an excuse. What I suspect is whether this was a kind of sadistic abuse—a torment meant to trap the soul within a dying body. That’s why I believe the suspect's psychological state needs thorough investigation. ◆ Park: Now that I hear you, Profiler-nim... there were many articles and videos that mentioned a lot of feces on the wife’s body, and even when the firemen arrived, she was still defecating. I just thought, 'Ah, maybe she was incontinent for a long time,' but you mentioned 'feces covering her entire body.' If you think about it, she couldn't have soiled herself like that, could she? ◇ Bae Sang-hoon: Of course not. She couldn't move. Her hands were rotting and fused; she couldn't move. ◆ Park: But the husband said he changed her bedding, etc. Couldn't the feces have gotten on her during that process? ◇ Bae Sang-hoon: Right. If he did that, then claiming he didn't know her condition makes no sense. If she couldn't control her bowels, and he was changing her, would he do it like that? He would be changing a diaper, essentially. It doesn't add up. He claims he changed things, but he didn't really 'change' them. The feces wasn't just stuff she ate and passed; she had holes in her abdomen, her digestion wasn't working. Her organs were perforated, and things were leaking out. That wasn't just feces. The feces was there from *before*. This is the result of multiple layers of abuse. ◆ Park: Regarding the key points, the husband claims that she developed 'panic disorder and depression' three months ago, which caused her to become immobile and restricted in movement. For three months, he didn't seek medical treatment, protection, or do anything. He neglected her. That's why he was charged with murder—knowing that neglect would lead to death, yet still abandoning her. But I'm curious about the link between panic disorder/depression and being immobile for three months. What the hell happened in between? I think you suspect that part too, Profiler-nim. What are your suspicions? ◇ Bae Sang-hoon: Panic disorder and depression were names the husband created through gaslighting the victim. It is highly likely that he restricted her movement in the chair for other reasons. In that state, she couldn't eat, couldn't move anywhere. He performed some form of abuse, and the result of that abuse led to death—that's the correct view. Because if she couldn't move... someone still has to cook for her, feed her, and clean up her waste, right? To let her go like that, without doing anything, is absurd. We can only conclude that he simply watched and enjoyed her rotting away and dying. That's why the medical charts reportedly mentioned "necrophilia"—it indicated the body was already in a cadaverous state. ◆ Park: So you suspect the husband was actively engaging in abuse? ◇ Bae Sang-hoon: It was neglectful abuse. Letting her die and watching, without taking any action. ◆ Park: But do you think he also inflicted assault or external force? I saw videos saying she had broken ribs. ◇ Bae Sang-hoon: The first rib doesn't break easily. Since the first rib was broken, it might have happened during the process of restraint. He might have performed an act that forced her to stay in that chair. His own memo from about a month and a half earlier, where he wrote, 'It's better to just die,' might relate to this. Seeing herself rotting away like that causes the soul to crumble. The perpetrator saw that. And it was repeated. ◆ Park: If the perpetrator husband acted sadistically, motivated by revenge, as you suggested, what do you think the motive was? Videos showed they had a good relationship. ◇ Bae Sang-hoon: They were the same age, and they knew each other since elementary school. ◆ Park: Yes, they were elementary school classmates. ◇ Bae Sang-hoon: It seems the relationship dynamic was reversed back then. And the husband, who was psychologically burdened by that, reversed the relationship through marriage. This status might have fueled a kind of retaliatory or vengeful psychology against the victim. I won't go into specifics, but looking through other records, it’s highly likely this psychology was at play. I believe he continued the abuse because of this. Starting with psychological abuse, it escalated to this point. ◆ Park: Summing up the reports, they knew each other for a long time, were friends, and it seems the wife was the more dominant one in the relationship dynamics. That's the relationship reversal you mean? ◇ Bae Sang-hoon: Yes. But they've been married for 10 years, and it's highly likely that the dynamics reversed during that time, leading to this situation. ◆ Park: And you suspect that reversal was the motive. If so, why did the husband call 119 after three months of neglect? ◇ Bae Sang-hoon: The reason is related to the 40 tons of water he reportedly used. A maximum amount of water used by one person is about 10 tons, but he used much more than 10 tons, didn't he? ◆ Park: They say his monthly water usage exceeded 40 tons. ◇ Bae Sang-hoon: Exactly. The average person uses about 8 to 10 tons, so he used twice that much. This suggests he committed an act and then tried to erase it. This isn't something the deceased could have done. The husband did something related to that high water usage. That act ultimately led to her death, and since he couldn't hide it any longer, he called 119. That's the logical conclusion. ◆ Park: He called 119 because he couldn't hide the act. Could you explain that more specifically? ◇ Bae Sang-hoon: Because if she was found dead there, it would be homicide/murder. But if 119 takes her to the hospital while she still has a little life left, they perform resuscitation, and then it's not murder under current Korean investigation practices. That’s why this was treated as death due to neglect/abandonment (Chung-yugi chisa). In fact, she died there. She passed away at the scene. But the perpetrator used 119 to get her to the emergency room... It was a calculated maximum effort. ◆ Park: If this person engaged in sadistic acts, motivated by revenge, as you suggested, what was the goal of the sadism? ◇ Bae Sang-hoon: That is what is called 'Lust Murder'—murder for pleasure. ◆ Park: Wasn't murder his goal? Isn't that also suspicious? If his wife died at home, he would be guilty of murder, so you think he called 119 just before death to avoid that? ◇ Bae Sang-hoon: Exactly. He was trying to evade the murder charge given her condition. ◆ Park: So, in the end, it was to avoid murder. ◇ Bae Sang-hoon: When abusive acts are repeated, the perpetrator loses control. After repeated gaslighting of the victim, when the psychological satisfaction the abuser gains reaches its peak, they also lose control. When they finally hit that 'reality check' moment (Hyunta), they wonder, 'How do I handle this?' He likely went through that process. ◆ Park: Another bizarre psychological aspect of the husband is that during all this, he kept in touch with the victim's family. He sent pictures of food in group chats, saying things like, 'We ate well,' and 'I'm taking good care of her.' What psychology is this? ◇ Bae Sang-hoon: 'I have complete control.' It's the psychological state of the husband/perpetrator watching the family. 'I'm deceiving them well. I'm controlling them well.' He was repeating a strange sense of pleasure. ◆ Park: Everything is going according to my plan? ◇ Bae Sang-hoon: Yes, that was his state. But such actions inevitably predict catastrophe. These criminals don't hit their reality check until they reach the absolute endpoint of that catastrophe. Because the satisfaction level is much higher.