A Sydney-based taekwondo instructor, Kwang Kyung Yoo, 51, has pleaded guilty to the brutal murder of a 7-year-old student and his parents in February last year. The New South Wales Supreme Court heard on Thursday that Yoo, consumed by delusions of grandeur, had fabricated stories of Olympic glory, meetings with billionaires, and ownership of luxury cars to bolster his self-image. Forensic psychiatrist Andrew Ellis described these fabrications as “grandiose fantasies” aimed at masking his financial struggles and lack of social status. Yoo, who was behind on rent for his Lion’s Taekwondo and Martial Arts Academy, allegedly plotted the murders after becoming envious of the student’s father’s success and wealth. The court was told that Yoo strangled the mother and son at his academy, then drove to their home in the mother’s BMW, where he fatally stabbed the father. During the struggle, the father also stabbed Yoo, who later claimed he was attacked in a supermarket carpark. Police arrested him at the hospital the following day. Yoo expressed remorse to prison authorities, stating, “I feel shame, guilt, and sorrow.” His lawyer, Richard Wilson, argued against prosecutors’ claims that Yoo was driven by jealousy and hatred, suggesting envy was a factor but not the primary motivator. Yoo faces sentencing on December 16, with the maximum penalty for murder in New South Wales being life imprisonment.
Sydney taekwondo instructor who murdered family of three consumed by fantasies of Olympic glory
