Hyojin and her friend were kidnapped by a cult. Then she was forced to kill him.

If you want to support independent women's media, become a Mamamia subscriber. Get an all-access pass to everything we make, including exclusive podcasts, articles, videos and our exercise app, MOVE.

In September 1994, Hyojin and a colleague were driving to meet friends at Yangsu-ri river when their car was abruptly stopped by another vehicle ahead. 

Confused, Hyojin looked ahead, only to see a group of men emerge from the car ahead and approach their vehicle.

Before she knew what was really happening, the attackers fired gas guns through a crack in the window and assaulted them both — Hyojin was punched in the face whilst her friend was stabbed in the thigh. The men then bound them and placed them in the boot of their car.

What had begun as a routine evening out quickly became a seven-day long nightmare for Hyojin. One that would have lasting consequences for the sole survivor of the Chijon family gang.

Watch the trailer for The Echoes of Survivors: Inside Korea's Tragedies. Article continues after video.

During the seven days Hyojin was held captive by the group, she was not only forced to witness the atrocities committed by her captors and raped multiple times, but was also forced to kill several people herself.

Including her own friend. 

Netflix's The Echoes of Survivors: Inside Korea's Tragedies is an eight-episode documentary series that confronts some of South Korea's darkest chapters, following up on the acclaimed 2023 series In the Name of God: A Holy Betrayal. 

The series examines four devastating events that shook Korean society: the Brothers' Home internment camp, the JMS cult's continued legal battles, the Chijon family murders, and the Sampoong Department Store collapse. 

Perhaps no story cuts as deeply as that of the Chijon family murders — a series of murders carried out by the Chijon family — a murderous gang formed by convicted rapist Kim Gi-hwan consisting of a group of six other men, all of whom were driven to murder and extort those they classified as rich.

Image: Netflix

But what makes this particular chapter so profoundly moving is the extraordinary courage of Hyojin — the sole survivor of the Chijon family cult and the woman at the centre of this story. 

Perhaps the most psychologically devastating aspect of Hyojin's captivity was when she was forced to participate directly in their violence. 

In one of the most traumatic moments — after finding out that the pair did not have money — the men made Hyojin place a plastic bag over her friend's head, guiding her hands as she was forced to suffocate him. 

Later, they handed her a gun and compelled her to shoot another captive.

"I took part in taking someone's life," she recalled in the documentary. 

"They told me I'd have a better chance of surviving if I did what I was told. I took part to save myself. They said they'd spare me."

The psychological manipulation was calculated and cruel — they convinced her that compliance was her only path to survival, forcing her to make impossible choices.

But after days of this systematic abuse, an unexpected opportunity for freedom would finally present itself. Kim Hyeon Yang, one of the gang members, had developed what he considered affection for her. He argued with the others, insisting they needed a woman in their crew and lobbying for her life to be spared.

Image: Netflix

One day, when Hyeon Yang needed medical treatment at a hospital, he made a decision that would change everything. Giving her his wallet containing 500,000 won, he told her to accompany him. As they sat side by side in the sterile hospital waiting room, suddenly he spoke words she never expected to hear.

"If you want to run away, run away," he said. 

And she did. When Hyojin finally reached safety and reported the crimes to police, her ordeal was far from over. Officers initially dismissed her account, believing she was "high" and "talking nonsense" because her statement seemed too horrific to be true. 

Eventually, the truth of her testimony was verified, and the members of the gang were sentenced to death for their crimes. 

Thirty years have passed since then, but for Hyojin, the psychological wounds remain as fresh as ever. She continues to battle severe post-traumatic stress disorder, and the hypervigilance that kept her alive during those seven days has never left her. 

Image: Netflix

In the documentary, she explains she still keeps a knife beside her bed each night, a stark reminder that she still doesn't feel entirely safe.

"Thirty years may have passed, but for me, it feels like it was only a few days ago," she explained. 

"Every detail of what happened there is still vivid in my mind."

To this day, Hyojin lives with a lot of guilt for what she did in order to survive, but is telling her story in an attempt that other victims will find a way to move forward in their lives.

"For those of you who, like me, were victims and now live in the shadows, I'd like to say that your life has meaning just by living it. Even someone like me can go on like this," she said.

"May all the victims who lost their lives rest in peace."

Feature Image: Netflix.