Taekwondo instructor Kwang Kyung Yoo has been sentenced to life in prison for the murders of a married couple and their seven-year-old son in Sydney’s west so he could seize their BMW.
Yoo held a Bible stuffed with personal notes on his lap and hung his head throughout proceedings in the NSW Supreme Court on Tuesday morning, and sniffled when asked to stand for his sentence to be delivered. The family and friends of his victims choked back sobs.
Kwang Kyung Yoo has been sentenced to life in prison with no parole.Credit: Rocco Fazzari
Justice Ian Harrison said he was satisfied Yoo had planned to kill Min Kyung Cho, 41, Hyun Soo “Steven” Cho, 39, and their son to obtain their car, having scoped their premises on four occasions in preceding weeks, then informing his wife that a new BMW was to come into their possession on the morning he murdered them.
But his planning did not extend to covering his tracks by changing number plates, avoiding CCTV cameras or coming up with a convincing lie about the injuries he sustained in the stabbing attack on Steven.
“Mr Yoo did not appear to give any thought to avoiding detection,” Harrison said.
“On the contrary, Mr Yoo took and wore Ms Cho’s Apple Watch, which could easily be tracked.
Taekwondo instructor Kwang Kyung Yoo has been sentenced to life in prison.
“These killings were horrific and violent acts, senselessly cruel and cynical.”
Yoo, whose students knew him as “Master Lion”, killed the family of three on February 19, 2024, after telling his wife that morning that he would be taking home a BMW that night. He lied that it was part of a salary package that he had been offered by the principal of Epping Boys High for taking on more teaching hours.
