Man in His 40s Kills Wife and Children Over Debt, Commits Crime Under Guise of Family Trip

After Traveling and Staying in Muan, He Gave Sleeping Pills to His Family
No CCTV Footage Captured Him Escaping Alone... Investigation Needed to Prove the Case

A man in his 40s, accused of killing his wife and two children by driving his car into the sea, has been found to have committed the crime under the guise of a family trip.

Yonhap News

According to Gwangju Bukbu Police Station on June 3, Ji (49), who is suspected of murder after causing a maritime crash that killed his wife and two sons, left for a family trip to Muan, South Jeolla Province, for two days starting May 30.

It was reported that Ji had inquired with the school about an off-campus experiential learning program for his two sons.

Investigations revealed that he traveled with his family, dining at restaurants and staying at a pension, and then, on the afternoon of May 31 in Mokpo, gave his family drinks containing sleeping pills. Subsequently, at around 1:12 a.m. on June 1, he suddenly drove his car, with his family inside, into the sea at Jindo Port, Imhoe-myeon, Jindo County.

Immediately after the crash, Ji escaped from the vehicle, made his way to land, contacted a coworker from a construction site, and fled to Gwangju using the coworker's car.

After receiving a report from the school, police began a search and, at 8:07 p.m. the previous day, discovered the bodies of Ji's wife and two sons in the sea about 30 meters from Jindo Port.

Ji, who had disappeared after the crash, was apprehended by police at 9:09 p.m. the previous day, about 44 hours after the incident, near Yangdong Market in Seo-gu, Gwangju.

According to the initial autopsy, the cause of death for all three was drowning, and no significant external injuries were found.

Police have determined that Ji committed the crime because he was unable to cope with a substantial amount of debt. During police questioning, he stated, "I could not handle my massive debt, so I drove the car into the sea intending for us all to die together."

While closed-circuit television (CCTV) footage showing the car plunging into the sea, as Ji described, has been secured, there is still no evidence confirming how Ji emerged from the water. No CCTV or other evidence has yet been obtained to support Ji's statement to the police, and the circumstances under which he escaped the car alone after driving it into the sea with his family must still be clarified through investigation. Previously, Ji told police, "I entered with the front seat window open, hoping the car would fill with water quickly," and "after the crash, I escaped the vehicle through the window."

The police plan to investigate the precise circumstances of the incident through an autopsy by the National Forensic Service and intend to apply for an arrest warrant for Ji.