A man in his 60s who killed his son with a homemade firearm claimed that he had not received his salary from the family business since last year and that he felt betrayed by his deceased son.
According to the Incheon Metropolitan Police Agency on July 24, Mr. A (62), who has been arrested on charges including murder, stated during a recent profiler's interview, "I was listed as an employee at the family business and received a monthly salary of about 3 million won, but at some point last year, the payments stopped."
He further claimed, "Since I stopped receiving my salary, I have been living off a lump-sum payment from the National Pension," and added, "(The deceased son) was my only family, but he turned his back on me, so I felt betrayed."
The family business Mr. A referred to is reportedly a well-known skincare franchise company where his ex-wife, Ms. B, serves as CEO. Mr. A had been unemployed for the past three to four years, and the 70-pyeong apartment he had been living in was confirmed to be owned by Ms. B.
It was also reported that Mr. A repeatedly told investigators, "I have always been a good person who lived kindly." Police plan to conduct further investigations, as Mr. A's statements in the profiling report alone are not sufficient to determine his motive for killing his son.
Mr. A is suspected of shooting and killing his son, Mr. C (33), with a homemade firearm at Mr. C's apartment in Songdo-dong, Yeonsu-gu, Incheon, at around 9:31 p.m. on July 20. The day of the crime was Mr. A's birthday, and his son had organized a party, with his daughter-in-law and two grandchildren also present.
During police questioning, Mr. A stated, "I learned how to make firearms from YouTube, and I had purchased the bullets 20 years ago and kept them in storage."
In addition, at Mr. A's home in Dobong-gu, Seoul, police found 15 flammable items such as PET bottles, detergent containers, and milk cartons filled with thinner, as well as ignition devices. It was determined that a timer had been set so that a fire would ignite at noon on July 21, the day after the murder.
Bullets used in the murder case involving a privately owned firearm. Incheon Metropolitan Police Agency
Meanwhile, the bereaved family of the deceased Mr. C claimed that the suspect also attempted to attack other people present at the scene on the day of the incident, and police are focusing their investigation on this aspect.
In a statement released on July 22, the bereaved family said, "The suspect planned and attempted an indiscriminate killing targeting everyone who was present with the victim, but it appears that the attempt failed due to problems with the firearm."
The family further claimed, "After the birthday party, while eating cake together, the suspect said he was going to the convenience store for a moment, then came back carrying a bag containing the firearm. He fired two shots at the victim and then pulled the trigger twice at the victim's acquaintance, but the gun did not discharge."
They added, "When the daughter-in-law, who had hidden the children and was hiding herself, came out of the room briefly to try to rescue the victim, the suspect reloaded the firearm, shouted at her, and chased her. When the daughter-in-law locked the door of the room where the children were hiding, the suspect repeatedly tried to open the door and threatened her to come out."
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