Wife and Two High School Sons Killed
Escaped from Car and Fled After Incident
Police Considering Murder Charges
Three people, presumed to be members of the same family, died after a passenger car plunged into the sea near Jindo Port in Jeollanam-do. The 40-something head of the family, who was driving the vehicle, was apprehended by police 44 hours after the incident occurred.
On the afternoon of the 2nd, rescue team members from Mokpo Coast Guard Station conducted a search operation related to a vehicle fall accident in the waters near Jindo Port, Jindo-gun, Jeollanam-do. Photo by Mokpo Coast Guard
On June 2, the Gwangju Bukbu Police Station announced that they had urgently arrested and were investigating Ji Mo (49) on charges of causing a maritime crash that resulted in the deaths of his wife and two sons.
Ji is suspected of driving a passenger car into the sea at Jindo Port in Imhoe-myeon, Jindo-gun at around 1:12 a.m. the previous day, killing his wife, who was the same age as him, and their two high school-aged sons. The vehicle was discovered by the Coast Guard at 8:07 p.m. that day, about 30 meters from Jindo Port, and three bodies were recovered from inside the car.
The identification process has not yet been completed, but police believe the three deceased are Ji's wife and two sons. Surveillance camera footage from the scene reportedly captured the Ji family arriving at Jindo Port, spending some time there, and then getting back into the car before it sped into the sea.
Police believe that Ji escaped from the vehicle alone immediately after it fell into the water, made his way to land, and then left Jindo Port for Gwangju without making any rescue requests or emergency reports. Ji was apprehended by police at 9:09 p.m., about 44 hours after the incident, on a street near Yangdong Market in Seo-gu, Gwangju.
According to the police investigation, Ji received assistance from an acquaintance to move the vehicle when leaving Jindo Port. Police are also investigating this acquaintance to determine whether they are guilty of aiding and abetting a criminal.
The investigation began when Ji's son failed to attend school and could not be reached, prompting his homeroom teacher to file a report. The Ji family had been living in a studio apartment in Buk-gu, Gwangju, and were reportedly not recipients of basic living subsidies.
Police are continuing to investigate the circumstances of the incident and are considering whether to charge Ji with murder or aiding and abetting suicide.
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