A gentle female teacher with a dual personality, a murderous intent hidden beneath her black miniskirt, a hotel bathroom turned into a living hell!
In popular perception, most heinous murders are committed by men, with women seemingly immune to such crimes.
However, a horrific case occurred in South Korea in 2014, and the perpetrator was a seemingly delicate and petite woman.
But what's most shocking about this case is that she chose a chainsaw as her murder weapon.
This stark contrast raises the question: how could such a terrifying soul reside within her gentle and sensual exterior?
Today, let us delve into the Paju chainsaw murder case in South Korea.
I. Half a Remains
Around 8:50 AM on May 31, 2014, outside a factory in Incheon, South Korea, all was quiet.
A worker who had just finished his night shift spraying work walked to the factory wall as usual, intending to smoke a cigarette to relax.
Suddenly, he noticed a seemingly brand-new travel bag sitting against the wall, standing out conspicuously in this secluded corner.
Out of curiosity, he went over, but the closer he got to the bag, the stronger the stench became.
Several flies were swarming around it.
The moment he opened the bag, the overwhelming stench almost made him vomit on the spot.
He forced himself to look closely and saw that the bag contained unidentified objects wrapped in red non-woven fabric, stained with blood and a few strands of long hair.
The worker turned pale with fright and frantically pulled out his phone to call the police.
Police quickly arrived at the scene.
The bag, about 90 centimeters long, was tightly bound with rope.
They carefully and slowly opened it, revealing a mutilated male skeleton—a gruesome scene.
The body was missing below the pelvis, with multiple stab wounds, the fatal ones on the back and neck.
The forensic examiner found clear defensive wounds on the hands.
Police believe the extent of the injuries suggests the work of a physically strong adult male.
However, the discovery of long hair and fingernail fragments at the scene raises questions.
What do these mean?
What secrets are hidden behind this mysterious bag?
Just when police were at a loss for clues in this bizarre dismemberment case, a new lead emerged.
A few days before the body was discovered, in Goyang, near Paju, the wife of a 51-year-old man reported to the police that her husband, Choi, had left home at 9:30 AM on May 26th to go to Seoul for a job interview and had since disappeared; his phone had been switched off.
Police quickly linked the two incidents and, after investigating cell phone signals, located the missing man's vehicle, which was last seen parked on a street in front of an open-air cinema near the Unification Watchtower in Paju, Gyeonggi Province.
Mr. Choi was an ordinary middle-aged man working in an industrial park. Although not wealthy, his life was stable.
His wife stated that she had never experienced anything like this before.
Around 5 PM on the 26th, he last messaged his wife saying he would be home in about 40 minutes.
However, when his wife returned home after 11 PM, she found the house empty.
She sent her husband a message but received no reply.
She then called him several times, but his phone remained switched off.
The next day, feeling uneasy, she called the police.
After comparison, the half-body remains belonged to the missing Mr. Choi.
However, strangely, he lived in Goyang and was on his way to Seoul for a job interview; how could he be in Paju?
These two places are completely opposite.
Investigators carefully examined the vehicle.
Mr. Choi's car appeared normal, and no bloodstains or signs of a struggle were found inside.
However, a review of his dashcam footage puzzled the investigators: shortly after he left home, the dashcam had been deliberately turned off.
So, who he encountered on the road and what he experienced remains unknown.
Police speculate that he himself turned off the dash cam.
What caused this series of unusual actions?
Why did this ordinary middle-aged man, Cui, suffer such a fate?
II. The Crime's Trail
Police then started their investigation at the scene where the remains were found.
About 40 meters from the dumping site, there was a surveillance camera on one side of a building.
Around 11 PM the night before the remains were discovered, a car parked against the wall for about seven minutes.
Investigating officers believed that the people in this car dropped off the bag containing the remains.
Because the car headlights were directly facing the camera, the license plate was unclear, and it was impossible to determine how many people were in the car.
Police officers then followed surveillance footage from other roads and finally found some images that clearly showed the side of the vehicle.
Police ultimately confirmed it was a silver imported Chrysler sedan.
By reviewing surveillance footage along the route, they located the car. Surprisingly, the owner was a 35-year-old woman named Go Mi-sook.
Police quickly apprehended her.
Go Mi-sook claimed to be a piano teacher.
After her arrest, she immediately confessed to murdering Choi.
Based on her confession, police quickly found Choi's lower torso in a secluded irrigation ditch in Paju.
However, Go Mi-sook claimed that Choi had attempted to assault her, and she pulled out a knife in self-defense, accidentally stabbing him to death.
This claim was clearly absurd, as Choi suffered 41 stab wounds and was ultimately cut in two.
Surprisingly, under police questioning, Go Mi-sook looked at the victim's photo and burst into laughter, shocking the officers present. The woman before them was truly chilling.
As the investigation deepened, Go Mi-sook's criminal activities gradually came to light.
Police discovered that she was not a piano teacher, but rather someone who attracted men by posting sexy photos online, and after mutual consent, would engage in brief, romantic relationships at hotels.
She and Mr. Choi met on an adult dating website.
On May 25, 2014, Go Mi-sook sent him an ambiguous message: "Should we become lovers who care for and love each other?" and invited him to meet the next day.
Perhaps bewitched by her enthusiasm, or perhaps driven by some inner desire, Mr. Choi accepted her invitation after agreeing on a price of 300,000 won.
Mr. Choi never imagined that this seemingly sensual online interaction would lead him down a path of no return.
He lied to his wife about a job interview and hurriedly left for this deadly rendezvous.
To avoid being discovered, he deliberately turned off his car's dash cam.
On the afternoon of May 26th, shortly after 5 PM, Mr. Choi arrived at the agreed meeting place, near the Unification Observatory in Paju, where his car was last seen.
He parked his car on the roadside and then got into Ms. Go Mi-sook's car.
Ten minutes later, they entered a motel together.
This motel was located in a secluded area of Paju, very quiet and sparsely populated.
The motel operated without staff; guests selected rooms and paid using vending machine-like devices, greatly protecting their privacy.
After successfully checking in, Mr. Choi and Ms. Go Mi-sook went to their room.
The surveillance footage shows that after getting out of the car, Mr. Choi embraced Ms. Go Mi-sook, who was wearing a black miniskirt.
Their intimate behavior resembled that of a couple deeply in love.
III. The Fatal Encounter
An hour later, surveillance footage showed Choi leaving the motel garage alone.
Shortly after, he returned to his room with alcohol he had bought from a nearby convenience store.
During this time, Go Mi-sook, wearing slippers, went to the garage alone, opened the car door, glanced inside, looked out to see where Choi had gone, and then returned to her room.
The next day, May 27th, at 11:32 AM, Go Mi-sook appeared on surveillance footage driving away, but Choi was not seen.
She did not return to the motel garage until 7:12 PM, parked her car against the wall, and then got out carrying several bags of various sizes to her room.
Logically, according to Choi's confession to his wife, he should have returned home after his date on the 26th.
His absence throughout the 27th suggests he was murdered on the 26th.
Approximately two hours later, at 9:12 PM, Go Mi-sook returned to her car and retrieved a large bag.
This time, she tied her hair up, which she had previously kept loose.
At 5:51 AM on May 28th, Go Mi-sook dragged a heavy black bag to the garage; this likely contained Choi's lower body.
At 7:55 AM, she emerged again dragging another heavy bag.
Red non-woven fabric was visible at the top of the bag, closely resembling the bag found outside the Incheon factory containing Choi's upper body.
Go Mi-sook then drove away from the motel.
However, police initially doubted whether Gao Meishu, a single woman, could truly subdue an adult male on her own. Furthermore, female criminals often employ methods they feel more confident in, such as poisoning.
While the use of a knife and chainsaw is indeed rare, after repeatedly reviewing surveillance footage, police were certain that only Gao Meishu and Cui were present at the motel, completely ruling out the possibility of a male accomplice in another room.
She emerged again dragging another heavy bag, with red non-woven fabric peeking out from the top.
Police speculated that Gao Meishu was able to subdue an adult male because he was relaxed, completely unguarded around a beautiful woman, and only focused on enjoying a moment of pleasure together.
Gao Meishu carried a 30-centimeter-long knife in her bag, with black tape wrapped around the handle to prevent it from slipping and stabbing her hand. She attacked Cui when he wasn't paying attention, striking his vitals and instantly incapacitating him.
The next day, around noon—specifically at 11:32 AM on the 27th, as captured by surveillance footage—she went out alone. What was she doing during that time?
Perhaps no one expected that she would go to a jewelry store in Gyeonggi Province and use Choi's credit card to buy a ring and a necklace for 3 million won. A while later, she returned to the same store, attempting to buy a piece of gold jewelry worth 5 million won. The shop owner found this strange, given the significant amount, and asked her to show her ID to verify the credit card's ownership. Go Mi-sook stated it was her husband's credit card and refused to show identification. The shop owner then cancelled all her previous purchases.
Next, she went into a nearby supermarket and used Choi's credit card to buy two extra-large travel bags. Then she went to a hardware store and selected a chainsaw.
When the hotel owner saw the stylishly dressed woman with an Egyptian queen-like hairstyle buying a chainsaw, he looked surprised and asked her why she wanted it. Gao Meishu replied without batting an eye that it was for her father who lived in the countryside. Her tone and expression were perfectly natural, arousing no suspicion from the owner.
In the two days following the murder, Gao Meishu meticulously packed up Choi's body in the hotel room, cleaning every corner thoroughly. Since the room was decorated with marble, it was very easy to maintain, and the damage was barely noticeable to the naked eye. She also used Choi's credit card to buy a spray bottle, spraying it extensively to mask the smell of blood.
It wasn't until after the incident, when police forensic personnel entered the room to collect evidence and used luminol testing, that a true hell on earth was revealed. Both the living room and bathroom floors and walls glowed with a blue fluorescent light, resembling a blue ocean.
IV. Mysterious Motive
Police investigations revealed that Gao Meishu had no criminal record except for traffic violations. For a first-time offender, her methods were extremely cruel and bizarre.
After inspecting Gao Meishu's car, police found the back seat piled high with items, obvious bloodstains on the floor, and the murder weapon and chainsaw found inside.
The process of disposing of the body is equally perplexing. Go Mi-sook didn't dump the body all at once in the sparsely populated irrigation ditch; instead, she scattered it across two locations. It would take her about an hour to drive to the factory in Incheon, a busy area with constant traffic, unsuitable for dumping a body.
Go Mi-sook explained that she didn't know why she came here; she just searched for "Namdong Industrial Park" and found it. Her navigation search history indeed showed both "Incheon Landfill" and "Namdong Industrial Park."
So why would Go Mi-sook use such cruel methods to murder Choi, whom she had just met? As a sex worker, she clearly understood the purpose of their meeting. What was her true motive?
Born in 1979, Go Mi-sook is decked out in luxury brands from head to toe, drives an imported car worth 50 million won, and lives in a high-end apartment costing 1 million won per month.
On social media, she portrays herself as a piano teacher, constantly showing off her vacations abroad, golfing, or various handbags—a picture of glamour and elegance, flaunting her glamorous life. Strangely, no one comments or likes her photos, because she actually has no friends.
The real Go Mi-sook grew up in poverty and supported herself through prostitution as an adult. She compensates for her past through plastic surgery and the purchase of luxury goods.
Her credit cards were heavily in debt, her car payments were long overdue, and she was a year behind on rent, even having her water and electricity cut off due to unpaid bills. But none of this stopped her from continuing her shopping spree; her home was piled high with unopened luxury goods.
Given this, it seems she immediately took Choi's credit card and started shopping after the murder. Was her motive simply to kill for money? At first glance, this seems plausible, but upon closer examination, if it were just about money, she had no reason to kill.
After all, most of these men were married, cheating on their wives. If she simply took their credit cards and wallets, they would likely be too afraid to report it to the police and would simply have to accept their fate.
But Go Mi-sook not only murdered them, but her methods were also extremely cruel. Therefore, some criminal psychology experts believe that while money was indeed Gao Meishu's motive for committing the crime, it was not the only one. She is very likely suffering from histrionic personality disorder and paranoia.
The characteristics of histrionic personality disorder include exaggerated emotional expression and a craving for attention, leading to a decline in overall functioning and subjective distress.
This trait aligns with Gao Meishu's behavior when recounting events, which included a need for attention, sexual enticement, and even loud laughter. Such individuals harbor a deep-seated desire for...
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