Prosecutors on Tuesday indicted a woman who killed her two daughters at the urging of a supposed member of a non-existent cult.

The 38-year-old woman, identified only by her surname Kwon, drowned her 10-year-old daughter in a bathtub and suffocated her 6-year-old daughter with a pillow in a motel on March 8, according to Jeonju District Prosecutors’ Office.

Kwon was following the direction of a 32-year-old woman, surnamed Yang, who lied about being a member of a pseudo-religion called “the System.” Yang was also indicted on charges of abetting murder. Full names were withheld by the prosecution.

Yang is said to have swindled the mother out of 140 million won ($123,000) and cajoled her into the crime.

Prosecutors reported that they first met at a parent-teacher conference in September 2010. Yang convinced Kwon to join the cult, promising a better life.

Kwon was soon deeply devoted and followed orders issued by “The System” via text messages. When the mother disobeyed the orders, reports say her daughters were repeatedly beaten by Yang’s lover.

Kwon was even persuaded to stand inside a train station bathroom for up to 12 hours, give up her family relationships and live on the streets with her two daughters, according to prosecutors.

Distraught by her situation and through Yang’s persuasion and guidance, Kwon decided to murder her children and commit suicide to make it look like an accident.

Yang’s lover, whose name was undisclosed to the media, was also arrested on charges of child abuse.


By Robert Lee
(robert@heraldcorp.com)