Woman dies in 'death experience' coffin

A woman in her 40s was found dead in a wooden coffin she had entered in a cult ritual. / Captured from YTN

By Jung Hae-myoung, Park Si-soo

A woman in her 40s was found dead in a wooden coffin she had entered in a cult ritual, police said. Police found no signs of foul play, so they will wait for an autopsy to know the cause of death.

Two other women who observed the ritual by lying in coffins are also under investigation.

The mysterious death was reported to Gumi police on Friday. According to investigators, the three women ― followers of an alleged pseudo-religion ― gathered at a house on Thursday afternoon. They lay in their respective wooden coffins, believing the “death experience” would help exorcise their misfortunes.

One woman, who claims to have been inside her coffin overnight, woke up at 6 a.m. Friday. When she opened the lids of the other coffins, one woman was sleeping and the other was dead.

“It's possible the victim suffocated while sleeping inside the airtight coffin,” said a police officer familiar with the case. “An autopsy will be conducted to find the exact cause of death.”