Marrying a monster was a big mistake, and the love triangle case ended in death

What this episode is about

In June 2019, Yun Sang Yup drowned during a picnic in South Korea, with authorities initially ruling his death an accidental drowning. However, suspicions arose when his wife, Lee Yunhai, appeared on a TV show alleging insurance company misconduct, leading to a deeper investigation that unveiled her possible involvement in his death.

Key takeaways

• In a tragic twist, a romantic getaway became the backdrop for a cunning murder plot, igniting societal outrage.
• Yun's fear of water was dismissed by those closest to him, proving that peer pressure can lead to fatal consequences.
• Lee Yunhai's insurance pursuit turned the tide from grieving widow to prime suspect—irony never sleeps in true crime.
• The hidden dynamics of relationships can unravel even the most carefully orchestrated alibis; betrayal breeds chaos.
• Amidst a tragic death, forensic evidence revealed struggles unheard—what was silence for some was a desperate plea for life.

Who speaks in this episode?

• Lee Yunhai (Guest) · 3 min speaking
• Yun Sang Yup
• Cho Hun Su · 1 min speaking
• Kim · 1 min speaking
• Choi · 1 min speaking

What is discussed, and when

1. 0:00 – 5:00: Yun Sang Yup, Cho Hun Su, Gapang Valley
2. 5:00 – 10:00: Yun Sang Yup, Cho Hun Su, Sunday Sunday Night Love House
3. 10:00 – 15:00: Yun Sang Yup, Cho Hun Su
4. 15:00 – 20:00: Yun Sang Yup, Cho Hun Su, Gapang Valley, Gangi Province
5. 20:00 – 25:00: Yun Sang Yup, Busan Police, Cho Hun Su, North Korea
6. 25:00 – 25:29: Cho Hun Su, April 26th, 2023

Notable quotes from "Marrying a monster was a big mistake, and the love triangle case ended in death"

• Transportation it attracts many visitors one of the well-known attractions in gapang is long sea waterfall what was supposed to be a joyful and Unforgettable trip turned into a…

  about Gapang Valley · at 0:26

• Out the insurance money following her husband's death before his passing Yun sang yup had purchased an insurance policy in the event of an accident or his death the insurance company was obligated to pay 800 million W equivalent to.

  about Yun Sang Yup · at 1:43

• Relatively unknown however in March 2002 their lives took a significant turn a program called Sunday night love house which helps build and renovate homes for those in need reached out to Lee yun's family to offer assistance at that time.

  about Sunday Sunday Night Love House · at 8:44

• Had been planning to kill her husband for quite some time in February 2019 at a farm in yangyong gangan province Lee yunh High mixed puffer fish poison into Yun sang yup's food however the poison wasn't potent enough and Yun sang yup only.

  about Gangi Province · at 18:19

• Media coverage and launched a massive online search for the culprits on April 12th 2022 Busan police received a tip that someone had seen Lee yunhai and hunu at a restaurant in Jim Jong Busan the police immediately rushed to.

  about Busan Police · at 22:18

• The murder as an accident to cover up their crimes on April 26th 2023 the so high court sentenced Lee High to life in prison for murder and conspiracy to commit murder her…

  about Lee Yun Hai · at 24:49

Who and what is mentioned in this episode?

People

• Yun Sang Yup — Person · Victim / case focal point · 23 mentions · first at 0:10
  His drowning death at Gapyeong Valley is the incident around which the entire investigation, media attention, and alleged insurance-murder plot revolves.
• Lee Yun Hai — Person · Primary subject / alleged perpetrator · 5 mentions
  Central figure in the episode: widow of Yun Sang Yup, alleged to have orchestrated his death for insurance money and to have had affairs with multiple men in the group.
• Cho Hun Su — Person · Alleged accomplice / co-defendant · 6 mentions · first at 3:18
  Portrayed as Lee Yun Hai's lover and alleged accomplice who helped pressure the victim into dangerous water situations and allegedly avoided rescuing him; later arrested and sentenced.
  High to life in prison for murder and conspiracy to commit murder her lover and accomplice Cho hun Su was sentenced to 30 years in prison Lee yunhai did not agree with the…

Companies & orgs

• Busan Police — Company · Investigator · 2 mentions · first at 22:22
  The Busan Police were involved in the investigation and eventual capture of the suspects.

Places & events

• Gapang Valley — Place · Setting · 2 mentions · first at 0:12
  The location where the murder took place, a popular tourist destination in South Korea.
• North Korea — Place · Setting · 1 mention · first at 21:15
  The entire case takes place in South Korea, involving South Korean individuals, institutions, and media.
  Le yunhai registered to appear on the South Korean TV show unanswered questions this show is quite popular for exposing troubling issues within South Korean Society during the…
• Gangi Province — Place · Setting · 2 mentions · first at 18:50
  A region in South Korea where significant events of the case took place, including previous murder attempts.
• April 26th, 2023 — Event · Key event · 2 mentions · first at 24:51
  The date when Lee Yunhai was sentenced to life in prison, marking a significant conclusion to the case.
  That the pair had planned to disguise the murder as an accident to cover up their crimes on April 26th 2023 the so high court sentenced Lee High to life in prison for murder…
• COVID-19 pandemic — Event · Contextual event · 1 mention · first at 22:40
  The pandemic was ongoing during parts of the investigation, affecting the search for the suspects.
  The scene but unfortunately the couple spotted there were not the two suspects given that this was during the height of the covid-19 pandemic everyone was wearing masks which…

Media & podcasts

• Sunday Sunday Night Love House — Media · Referenced media · 1 mention · first at 8:49
  A TV show that helped Lee Yunhai's family when she was a child, shaping her public image early on.

Full transcript with timestamps

0:06 on June 30th 2019 a 39-year-old man named Yun sang yup along with his wife and a few friends went on a picnic at gapang Valley located in gapang county in the heart of gongi Province South Korea this area is a popular tourist destination due to its proximity to downtown soul and convenient Transportation it attracts many visitors one of the well-known attractions in gapang is long sea waterfall what was supposed to be a joyful and Unforgettable trip turned into a meticulously planned and cunning murder around 8:00 p.m. Yun sang yup suddenly fell into the stream and drowned at the time of the incident neither his wife nor his friends noticed what had happened missing the critical moment to rescue him it wasn't until later that they discovered Yun had passed away his friends quickly reported the incident to the police after conducting an investigation the police determined that yun's death was

1:04 accidental with no signs of external Force as a result they concluded that it was a typical drowning accident with no suspects involved despite the accident occurring at a famous tourist spot the incident quickly faded from public memory with many people unaware it had even happened however in November Yun sang yup's wife Le yunhai registered to appear on the South Korean TV show show unanswered questions this show is quite popular for exposing troubling issues within South Korean Society during the program Lee Yun accused a South Korean Insurance Company of repeatedly refusing to pay out the insurance money following her husband's death before his passing Yun sang yup had purchased an insurance policy in the event of an accident or his death the insurance company was obligated to pay 800 million W equivalent to approximately 600,000 USD to his next of kin in the months following her husband's death Lee Yun hay persistently

2:09 requested the insurance company to release this payment however the company refused suspecting her involvement in her husband's accident the reporter's investigation was officially broadcast immediately sparking heated debates within the community the production team also shared the investigation results with the police in February 2021 South Korean police decided to reopen the investigation into the drowning incident in gap Yong after 9 months of thorough research and investigation the prosecution finally released their official findings so what is the truth here let's revisit the events of that day on June 30th 2019 Lee Yun organized a trip to gapy Young Valley for a group of seven people first we need to clarify the relationships among these seven individuals the first couple was Lee yunhai and her husband Yun sang yup the second couple consisted of a man named Lee and his girlfriend Choy the third

3:15 couple was Kim and his girlfriend Lee finally there was Cho hun Su we need to pay special attention to Cho hu Su Not only was he the same age as Lee yunhai but he also had a very close relationship with her yes they were secretly involved with each other Yun sang yup was of course unaware that his wife was cheating on him furthermore she was also secretly involved with the man named Lee out of the seven people on this trip aside from his wife Lee yunhai Yun sang yup did not know anyone else they were all friends of Lee yunhi around 3:00 p.m. the seven people arrived at the waterfall and began their outing enjoying swimming and playing together however Yun sang yup who was very afraid of water hesitated to join in despite this Le yunhai insisted that her husband sit on an inflatable float choh hun Su then pulled the float into deeper water causing yunsang yup to become extremely frightened he

4:19 repeatedly asked them to stop but chunu ignored his pleas and continued pulling the float farther out meanwhile Lee yunh High casually sat on the shore enjoying the breeze as Yun sang yup struggled to paddle the float back to shore Cho hunu shook the float vigorously leaving Yun sang yup to helplessly beg for it to stop this video was recorded around 6: p.m. it's evident that Yun sang yup was genuinely terrified of the water after the video was shared on social media it quickly garnered widespread attention amassing over 5 million views within just a week even surpassing interest in the South Korean presidential election at that time returning to that day at around 8:00 p.m. as dusk was falling the group was preparing to leave Kim and his girlfriend Lee had already gone to the parking lot however at that moment Lee yunhai suddenly suggested an idea to jump off the cliff into the river before

5:19 heading home so as not to waste the trip yunsang yuk was clearly reluctant to take on this challenge but with four out of the five remaining people agreeing he was pressured to join them on the 13- Ft high jumping platform the two men who agreed to jump chohans Su and Lee both had unusual relationships with Lee Yun seeing her husband's hesitation Lee Yun taunted his masculinity and even implied that she would do it herself if he didn't dare ultimately Yun reluctantly agreed and jumped along with the other men as you may already know Yun sang yuk tragically drowned at this point Cho hun Su called the police when the authorities arrived they retrieved yun's body from the water however during this investigation the police discovered that Lee yunhai was a habitual liar she failed the polygraph test she claimed she didn't hear her husband's cries for help but Choy who was with Lee at the time confirmed

6:19 hearing a loud scream furthermore according to the forensic examination numerous air bubbles were found in both of Yun sang yup's lungs the bubbles were formed due to the victim's continuous struggle in the water in simpler terms after falling into the water yunsang yup repeatedly thrashed about in an attempt to save himself the noise from such splashing would not have been quiet yet no one claimed to have heard it choh hunu told the police that Yun sang yup's jump point was very close to where he was after noticing something was wrong Choy and Le yunhai went to look for a life preserver while Cho hiun Su swam to the spot where Yun yup had jumped into the water logically in such close proximity you would expect him to be able to find Yun however Cho hunu claimed he couldn't see Yun sangya because it was too dark whether choh hunu was trying to save Yun or harm him remains unclear after the incident as Yun sang

7:19 yep's wife Le yunhai showed no signs of grief instead she casually spent time with her lover and demanded 800 million W approximately $600,000 from the insurance company however the insurance company wasn't easily fooled they discovered that this insurance policy was just 4 hours away from expiring due to unpaid premiums when right before it did Yun sang yup suddenly drowned suspecting an insurance fraud they immediately refused to pay the claim this turn of events left Lee yunhai in a state of anxiety she felt compelled to reach out to the media to accuse the insurance company however what Le yunhai didn't anticipate was that her accusation would lead to severe consequences for both her and her boyfriend moreover many people began to wonder what was the motive behind Le Yun driving her husband to his death according to investigations Lee Yun was born in 1991 in yanu dong in chin South Korea into a family where

8:28 both parents were disabled living in extreme poverty the entire family crowded into a small home of just 215 Square ft relying on government assistance to survive initially Lee Yun ha's family had no social standing and they were relatively unknown however in March 2002 their lives took a significant turn a program called Sunday Sunday night love house which helps build and renovate homes for those in need reached out to Lee yun's family to offer assistance at that time Lee Yun was just a sixth grader appearing sweet well- behaved and obedient despite the family's poverty she remained optimistic she never looked down on her parents and dreamed of becoming a singer when she grew up so that she could take care of them and repay them for their care and upbringing Lee Yun even promised when I grow up I will help those in need as much as I have been helped at after the program aired Her Image as a kind filial

9:32 and hardworking girl quickly won the hearts of the South Korean public she was affectionately dubbed a little angel and became a model of the good child in the eyes of parents across South Korea however things soon changed the Angelic child from those days disappeared Lee yunhai seemed to forget her dream of becoming a singer according to investigations at the age of 15 Lee yunh High began working as a sugar baby for a middle-aged man after receiving 160,000 W equivalent to about $120 from him Lee Yun he felt that this was a way to make money without much effort relying only on her looks through introductions from friends in the internet she enticed and became a sugar baby for numerous men however once she had money Lee yunhai paid no attention to her parents it was during this time that she met Cho hun Su who was actually a pimp specializing in finding clients for her they collaborated to make money

10:33 and eventually developed a romantic relationship Le Yun even created a personal list for her clients where she recorded their characteristics and preferences she also engaged in theft and other services to make money more quickly this Behavior made Lee yunhai a regular at the police station facing multiple charges from a young age Lee yunhai had to appear in South Korea's Juvenile Court five times and was investigated by the police on more than 10 occasions at just 19 years old Lee yunhai became pregnant and gave birth to a baby girl with the father's identity unknown even while pregnant she continued to frequent bars to lure men after her daughter was born Lee Yun ha heartlessly left her in the care of her disabled parents while she continued her lifestyle of partying and Reckless Behavior despite making substantial money through her sugar baby activities and scams she spent it lavishly always

11:33 wanting the most expensive things leaving her with no savings additionally comparing her current appearance to childhood photos it's evident that Lee has undergone numerous cosmetic surgeries in the following years she continued relationships with multiple men earning considerable money from them in 2016 Lee yunhai met Yun sang yup who was was born in 1980 making him 11 years older than her from the photos Yun sang yup appeared to be kind and unassuming which was true in reality Yun sang yup was always hardworking and meticulous he worked as a researcher at a large company in South Korea where he had been employed for 15 years earning an annual salary of 64 million1 which is equivalent to nearly $50,000 while this income didn't make him wealthy it was considered quite decent in South Korea Yun sang yup treated Le Yun High very well whatever she asked for he was always willing to pay for while being Frugal and never

12:40 spending excessively on himself he handed over his entire monthly salary to Lee Yun he later they registered their marriage in the fall of 2016 by conventional standards a woman who meets such a good man should be grateful but for Lee Yun he that wasn't enough when she desired wasn't a good man or a decent family but rather someone wealthy after their marriage she continually made demands to siphon money from her husband and she succeeded every time however Yun sang Yuk's excessive Indulgence did not bring him happiness instead it led him into tragedy their marriage was quite unusual the two did not resemble a typical married couple after they were married Yun sang yup's parents gave him 100 million W combined with borrowed funds he was able to purchase a nice house but even that wasn't enough to satisfy Lee yunhai's vanity she used the excuse of not wanting her husband to endure a long

13:37 commute to make Yun sang yup rent an apartment close to his workplace where he lived alone the new house was reserved for her and her friends gather the couple only saw each other on weekends but even on weekends Lee Yun he would find reasons to avoid meeting her husband as a result their weekly meetings dwindled to just once a month the couple did not have a wedding ceremony or a tradition bride procession they simply signed the marriage registration papers before buying a house in inan yunsang yep had never met Lee un's family it wasn't until one day when he couldn't find her that he decided to visit her parents which was the only time he met them the two families and their relatives never met each other despite Yun sang yep's persistent urging Lee yunhai always found excuses to avoid it in general she didn't want anyone to know that she was married even more puzzling was the Stark difference in

14:31 their Lifestyles while Lee yunhai frequently traveled socialized with friends and dined out daily Yun sang yup after giving all his money to his wife didn't even have enough for basic meals according to his colleagues he became cold and withdrawn after getting married previously he had never borrowed money but after marriage he frequently asked to borrow small amounts from colleagues such as just 30001 about $2.30 this suggests he was so hungry that he needed to borrow money just to buy a meal or a bottle of water the text messages recovered by the police from Yun sang yep's phone were truly shocking when made public they left the entire country of South Korea in disbelief for instance on June 28th just 2 days before his death Yun sang Up messaged a colleague saying that while he could eat at the company cafeteria during work days he had nothing to eat on weekends over the course of 2 weeks he lost 30 1

15:30 the car that Yun sang yup financed was also entirely at Le yunhai's disposal his responsibility was to repay the loan and cover the fuel costs despite all his efforts Lee yunhai was never satisfied and constantly demanded more money from him to please her Yun sangap even resorted to borrowing money with interest including online loans fortunately he ultimately didn't go through with these transactions during the investigation the police discovered that the money from the loans yunsang yup took out ended up in Lee aai's pockets in fact over the 2 years since their marriage Lee unai demanded approximately 2 billion W equivalent to $1.5 million from her husband for various reasons it could be said that this marriage completely transformed yunsang yup's life leading him from a simple peaceful existence to utter despair but deceiving her unfortunate husband was not the extent of Le un's cruelty she had an even more Sinister

16:33 plan from the moment they married she began plotting just 5 months after their marriage leeon started purchasing life insurance policies for her husband eventually buying four policies with a total coverage of 800 million one due to financial difficulties Lee yunhai often fell behind on the premium payments however each time the policies were about to expire she would manage to renew them just in time this shows how much she valued these insurance policies unfortunately Yun sang yup being the trusting and kind-hearted person he was did not suspect anything and continued to follow his wife's wishes then came June 30th 2019 4 hours before the four insurance policies were set to expire due to unpaid premiums the accident happened just hours before the policies were about collapse Lee yunhai chose the late evening when visibility was poor and pressured her non-swimming husband to jump into the water the two other

17:38 individuals involved in this Final Act both had secret relationships with her the person closest to where Yun sang yup jumped was none other than Le yunhai's lover Cho hunu however he pretended not to notice and made no attempt to save Yun sang yup after the incident Lee yunhai and SHO hunu went to the basement apartment that Yun sang yup had rented twice to clean up and remove all data from his computer naturally she also forfeited the security deposit on the apartment and immediately terminated the lease as the investigation deepened the police uncovered even more shocking details it turned out that Lee Yun hay had been planning to kill her husband for quite some time in February 2019 at a farm in yangyong gangan province Lee yunh High mixed puffer fish poison into Yun sang yup's food however the poison wasn't potent enough and Yun sang yup only suffered from a stomach ache fortunately

18:40 surviving the attempt the police also found chat records between Le Yun ha high and hunu in which she clearly complained I used enough of the poison but it didn't work in May 2019 at a trout fishing spot in Gangi Province Yun sang yup who couldn't swim fell into the water by accident at that time Lee yunhai stood on the shore and did nothing to help him luckily a friend of Yun sang yup arrived just in time to pull him out of the water the friend initially thought that perhaps Lee Yun High didn't know how to swim which was why she didn't jump in to save her husband however later on in a video that Lee yunhai posted from another outing it became clear that she was a skilled and confident swimmer in reality this marriage was a trap from the start neither Le yunhai's family nor her friends knew that she was married even the friends who accompanied her to gapang Valley that day were unaware except for her accomplice Cho hun Su

19:42 none of the others knew that Yun sang yup was LE yunhai's husband when introducing her husband she simply referred to him as a close friend at this point the investigation into Yun sang yup's case was considered complet but the investigation into suspect Le UNH High continued the police discovered that she might be linked to other crimes before marrying Yun sang yup in 2016 Lee Yun ha had been married to two other men and coincidentally they met similar Fates in 2010 Lee yun's boyfriend at the time Tim was involved in a car accident at the saow intersection in inan afterward Lee unai received a large insurance payout in 2014 this woman went on a vacation to pataya Thailand with her fiance Mr Lee during a scuba diving trip her fiance tragically drowned as his fiance Lee on hey once again received an insurance payout between 2016 and 2019 Lee yunhai engaged in several other insurance fraud schemes on December 13th

20:55 2021 the prosecution summoned Lee Yun High and hun Su for questioning when they were called in for a second time the two disappeared without a trace triggering a large scale man hunt on March 30th 2022 South Korean police issued an official arrest warrant for Lee yunhai and Cho hun Su charging them with murder and insurance fraud the case caused a public outcry in South Korea with many people questioning why it took until 2022 for the case to come to light even though the incident occurred in 2019 people wondered if no one had been suspicious of Le yunhai earlier in reality there were suspicions and some people had already begun investigating there were also discussions about the case online with some even suspecting Lee Yun however Lee Yun and choh hunu were very active on the internet and they quickly reported any negative comments as a result some videos and posts were taken down and in some cases

21:54 people were even forced to pay damages this effectively kept the case out of of the public eye until now in truth the renewed police investigation was largely driven by Lee Yun ha's insatiable greed she had reached out to a television program to accuse the insurance company likely never imagining that she was in effect incriminating herself this case sparked widespread media coverage and launched a massive online search for the culprits on April 12th 2022 Busan police received a tip that someone had seen Lee yunhai and hunu at a restaurant in Jim Jong Busan the police immediately rushed to the scene but unfortunately the couple spotted there were not the two suspects given that this was during the height of the covid-19 pandemic everyone was wearing masks which made identification difficult however the trip wasn't entirely in vain when the police investigated the man who resembled hunu they accidentally discovered that he was

22:55 also a fugitive wanted in another case the South Korean police monitored the bank accounts and phone signals of Lee yunhai and Cho hunu but since the arrest warrant was issued neither of them had used their accounts or phones indicating that they were well prepared for their escape interestingly besides the organizations actively assisting the police and solving the case several fan groups emerged in support of Lee yunh High finally on April 16th 2022 the police apprehended Lee yunh High and choh hunu the South Korean police reported that since early April they had been surveilling the area near samsang station on line three of the Soul Metro in goyang Gangi Province they spotted images of Le yunhai and Cho hunu as a result the police narrowed their search and began a methodical hunt just as they were closing in on The suspect's Hiding Place the police received a sudden call from Lee yun's

23:56 father who informed them that the two were hiding in a nearby Office Building the police quickly arrived on the scene and captured the suspects at a newly constructed office building in deok Kang District goang when arrested both appeared exhausted and significantly thinner the only belongings they had were a few bottles of water during questioning the pair revealed we always chose crowded City centers to hide they believed that the most dangerous place was the safest after their arrest both were transferred to the local prosecutor's office in inan on October 10th 2022 prosecutors requested life sentences for Lee Yun and Cho hunu for multiple attempts to murder Yun sang yup and for insurance fraud they emphasized that the pair had planned to disguise the murder as an accident to cover up their crimes on April 26th 2023 the so high court sentenced Lee High to life in prison for murder and

25:00 conspiracy to commit murder her lover and accomplice Cho hun Su was sentenced to 30 years in prison Lee yunhai did not agree with the verdict and appealed on May 1st 2023 but her appeal was denied with this sentence the case comes to a close what are your thoughts on this shocking case in South Korea share your opinions with us in the comments below see you in our next video

Questions about this episode

Who speaks in "Marrying a monster was a big mistake, and the love triangle case ended in death"?

Lee Yunhai (Guest), Yun Sang Yup, Cho Hun Su, Kim, Choi.

What is "Marrying a monster was a big mistake, and the love triangle case ended in death" about?

In June 2019, Yun Sang Yup drowned during a picnic in South Korea, with authorities initially ruling his death an accidental drowning. However, suspicions arose when his wife, Lee Yunhai, appeared on a TV show alleging insurance company misconduct, leading to a deeper investigation that unveiled her possible involvement in his death.

What is mentioned in this Casefile True Crime episode?

10 people, works and ideas are mentioned, including Yun Sang Yup, Lee Yun Hai, Cho Hun Su, Gapang Valley, North Korea, Gangi Province. Each one on this page links to its own page with every episode that mentions it.

How long is "Marrying a monster was a big mistake, and the love triangle case ended in death"?

The episode runs 25 min; the transcript is about 3,922 words in 25 timestamped sections.

More from Casefile True Crime

• All analyzed episodes
• Books mentioned on Casefile True Crime
• People mentioned on Casefile True Crime
• Topics mentioned on Casefile True Crime