Man in His 40s Kills Wife and Two Sons; Police Seek Arrest Warrant

After Administering Sleeping Pills, He Drove Into the Sea
Apprehended in Gwangju After 44 Hours on the Run

A man in his 40s has been apprehended by police after driving his car into the sea at Jindo Port in Jeollanam-do, resulting in the deaths of his wife and two sons. He admitted to the crime, stating, "I did it because I was struggling," and the police plan to request an arrest warrant on charges of murder.

On June 3, the Gwangju Bukbu Police Station announced that Ji (49) had been urgently arrested and is under investigation on suspicion of killing his wife and two children. During police questioning, Ji stated, "I went into the sea with them in the car and then got out," and "I did it because I was having a hard time."

On the afternoon of the 2nd, a family’s vehicle that fell into the sea near Jindo Port, Imhoe-myeon, Jindo-gun, Jeollanam-do, is being salvaged. Provided by Mokpo Coast Guard, Yonhap News Agency

According to the investigation, on May 30 at 5:12 p.m., Ji left his home in Munheung-dong, Buk-gu, Gwangju, and arrived at a pension in Muan with his family at 7:00 p.m. the same day to stay overnight. Then, at 1:12 a.m. on June 1, he drove his car into the sea from the pier at Jindo Port, Imhoe-myeon, Jindo-gun, Jeollanam-do. The vehicle was salvaged at 8:07 p.m. that day, about 30 meters from Jindo Port, and inside, his wife (49) and two sons (19 and 17, both high school students) were found dead.

According to the police, Ji was carrying approximately 160 million won (about $116,000) in debt. He stated that his wife had mixed sleeping pills, prescribed by a psychiatrist, into a drink that the family consumed before he drove the car into the sea. The driver’s and passenger’s windows were found open, and police believe he may have scouted the location in advance.

Immediately after the crime, Ji left for Gwangju with an acquaintance he had contacted beforehand, without calling for help. The police have secured the vehicle’s black box and water-damaged mobile phones for digital forensic analysis, and are also checking insurance records through a search warrant. The National Forensic Service will conduct autopsies at 9:00 a.m. on June 4 to determine the exact causes of death. The initial examination suggested drowning as the cause, with no significant external injuries found.

The incident came to light after a homeroom teacher visited the family's home when one of the sons did not show up for school, noticed something was wrong, and filed a missing person report. Police urgently arrested Ji near Yangdong Market in Seo-gu, Gwangju, at 9:09 p.m. on June 2. They are also considering charging the acquaintance in his 50s, who traveled to Gwangju with Ji, with aiding and abetting a fugitive.