On June 30, 2019, seven friends drove to the scenic Gapyeong Valley in South Korea for a relaxing getaway—perfect for a short camping trip.
The trip was organized by Lee Eun-hae (born in 1992), whom we’ll call “Eun” in this story.
The group included Eun and her boyfriend Cho; Eun’s close friend Leo and his girlfriend Chloe; Eun’s childhood friend Yuna and her boyfriend; and finally, a guy introduced as “Oppa,” Sam. (Anyone familiar with Korean dramas knows “Oppa” is a term women use for an older guy, often with affection.)
The Cliff Dive: One Didn’t Surface
Three couples and one “Oppa”—they had a blast: swimming, messing around, filming videos, and of course, the highlight of any camping trip: great food. As night fell, everyone was a bit tired. That’s when Cho suggested one last thrill before packing up: cliff jumping. It’s not something you can easily do in the city.
Cho, Leo, and Sam climbed the cliff in the dark and jumped one by one. Only two surfaced. Where was Sam?
Sadly, he never came up as hoped. At first, everyone figured he was just pranking them, hiding underwater. But the jokes stopped when he finally floated to the surface—unconscious. They tried to revive him and called an ambulance, but by the time help arrived, he had drowned.
The Truth About “Oppa”
When police investigated, the group’s tangled relationships blew everyone’s minds: the “Oppa” Sam that Eun introduced wasn’t just some older friend—he was her husband. And for extra drama, Eun’s good friend Leo was actually her ex-boyfriend.
To make sense of the messy connections, here’s a simple relationship chart :
So, what’s the deal with going on a trip with both your husband and your boyfriend? This was Eun’s private soap opera—until a death turned it into a criminal case.
Eun publicly mourned, calling Sam a devoted family man: hardworking, thrifty, always putting his loved ones first. She said she was devastated and even cried a bit for the cameras.
During the investigation, Eun tried to collect on her husband’s life insurance—she’d just taken out a hefty policy on him. But the company refused, suspecting fraud.
Angry, Eun went to TV stations, wanting to expose the “corrupt” insurance industry. But trip videos painted a darker picture: Sam appeared bullied. Without a knife for the watermelon, Eun pushed him to smash it with his head.
While swimming, friends half-jokingly dragged him into deep water and rocked his floatie hard. Eun recorded it, laughing, apparently ignoring his cries for help.
Chloe testified that Sam didn’t want to cliff jump, but Eun kept sweetly calling him “Oppa” and coaxing him until he caved.
Some said they never saw him resurface, but the autopsy found foam in his lungs—evidence he struggled desperately to breathe multiple times. Sam’s friends insisted he wasn’t the adventurous type; he must have been forced.
Sam’s Hidden Life and Desperate Messages
More shocking revelations followed: After marrying, Sam never lived in their luxury apartment—Eun did, with her boyfriends. Sam squeezed into a tiny basement near his job.
He earned double the Korean average and had saved around $300,000, yet Eun bled him dry. He ended up in debt, begging friends for $3 for noodles. His desperate messages to pals included pleas for bill money, pics of worn-out shoes and broken glasses, even talk of selling organs. Meanwhile, Eun splashed out on luxury items and dated multiple men.
The scariest part: Whenever Eun bought life insurance on Sam, he suffered bizarre “accidents”—pufferfish poisoning, near-drownings. On that fatal day in 2019, his policy was set to expire just four hours after he died.
By now, suspicion pointed straight at Eun. Her past only fueled it: Over a decade, she’d had four major relationships—and three of the men died.
Rumors claimed her first husband died in a car accident; the second, a Mr. Lee, mysteriously drowned snorkeling in Thailand; an ex-fiancé named Patrick found out her “family” were paid actors, broke off the wedding, and sank into depression.
Trial and Documentary Exposure
In 2022, prosecutors charged Lee Eun-hae and her lover Cho Hyun-soo. The pair went on the run for months but were caught in Korea, their hideout packed with luxury goods.
At trial, the spotlight was on Eun and Cho (Leo got lighter charges). Evidence proved Eun lied repeatedly—she said Sam supported her parents, but she spent it all on herself. An SBS documentary exposed her cruelty; she even tried to stop it from airing.
Ultimately, Eun got life in prison, Cho 30 years. Netizens slammed her for being shameless, while Sam is remembered as a good man manipulated and destroyed.
Police first called Sam’s death an accidental drowning, but his sister swore he was terrified of water and wouldn’t jump voluntarily. Shows like SBS’s *I Want to Know the Truth* dug deep, uncovering insurance scams, bullying, and control tactics. Public outrage and petitions forced a reinvestigation with fresh evidence. This isn’t rare in Korea—similar cold cases have reopened due to DNA or public pressure.
As of late 2025, there have been no major new developments in the case. Lee Eun-hae’s life sentence and Cho Hyun-soo’s 30-year term were upheld by South Korea’s Supreme Court in 2023 and have stayed that way ever since.
When I first read about this case, it sent chills down my spine. This woman is downright terrifying—cold-hearted and vicious. Thank goodness she’s locked up for life. Let’s hope she never gets out, or who knows how many more men she could trick and harm.