[2] On July 31, 1983, Kang was mowing a field in a valley near the rural village of Useong-myeon when he came across a 50-year-old housewife Hong, who was washing her neck using a red scarf and water from a little pond.
Hong's naked body was found a few days later; however, as it was not unusual for people to suffer heatstrokes out in the countryside at the time, her death was ruled an accident and quickly forgotten about.
On August 19, 21-year-old Park Jeong-soon[N 1] was walking by a mountain road near Useong-myeon during broad daylight, when a man appeared from the forest and threatened her with a sickle.
The assailant, Kang, slashed Park violently, but was unable to kill her due to her fierce resistance, which allowed her to eventually escape.
[2] After the failed attempt on Park's life, Kang is not known to have committed any attacks until August 1985, when he raped and killed a 21-year-old tourist, Lee, who was visiting the area to attend a Buddhist service.
[2] On February 28, 57-year-old Seo Jeong-sun left her home to go to the church on the outskirts of Useong-myeon, with a witness claiming that they had seen her alive waiting at a bus stop at around 8 PM.
[3] Shortly thereafter, the investigators were tipped off about the 1985 sexual assault of a woman in Gongju, leading them to believe that the unsolved 1984 attack and the serial murders were likely committed by the same offender.
On April 17, 1990, Kang was among nine violent criminals to be hanged for their respective crimes; he and several others offered to donate their eyes and kidneys for science as a sign of penance.