Denies Attempted Murder of Four Including Daughter-in-Law During Sixth Interrogation
Internal Inspection Underway for Commanding Officer Who Did Not Respond to the Scene
A man in his 60s who killed his son after holding a birthday party for him is denying the additional charge of attempted murder.
According to the police on July 27, the Incheon Yeonsu Police Station summoned Mr. A (62), who had been arrested on charges including murder, and questioned him for about two hours that afternoon. The investigation focused on clarifying the specific motive for the crime and probing possible additional murder attempts. During questioning, Mr. A reportedly stated, "I only intended to kill my son," thereby denying the charge of attempted murder.
Previously, the police had arrested Mr. A on charges of murder, violation of the Act on the Safety Management of Guns, Swords, and Explosives, and preparation for arson of an inhabited building. They later added the charge of attempted murder.
The police believe that at the time of the crime, Mr. A not only intended to kill his son B (33, deceased) but also attempted to kill four others present at the scene: his daughter-in-law, two grandchildren, and a friend of his daughter-in-law (a foreign private tutor).
In the early stages of the investigation, Mr. A cited family discord as the reason for his actions. Later, during a profiler's interview, he claimed, "I was listed as an employee in the family business and received a salary of about 3 million won per month, but at some point last year, the payments stopped."
However, the bereaved family refuted this claim, stating, "Mr. A also received living expenses from his ex-wife, and his son had continued to provide him with a certain amount of financial support."
To clarify this issue, the police obtained a search and seizure warrant related to Mr. A on July 25 and are currently examining his financial accounts.
Mr. A continues to cite family discord and financial hardship as his motives for the crime. The police plan to confirm the specific timing and motive of the crime based on portal site search records, medical records, and phone call logs, for which they obtained a search and seizure warrant together with the financial records.
Meanwhile, the National Police Agency has been conducting an internal inspection since July 26 regarding the inadequate initial response to this incident.
At the time of the incident, Mr. A's daughter-in-law urgently took her children and evacuated to a room at about 9:31 p.m. on July 20, and called 112 for emergency assistance. The responding officer issued a "Code Zero," the fastest possible dispatch order.
However, it was confirmed that the commanding officer (situation manager) of the local police station did not arrive at the scene for more than 70 minutes. The situation manager was reportedly unaware of the internal manual requiring their presence at the scene and only arrived after the police SWAT team had entered, at 10:43 p.m.
Meanwhile, Mr. A is accused of shooting and killing Mr. B at around 9:31 p.m. on July 20 at an apartment on the 33rd floor in Songdo-dong, Yeonsu-gu, Incheon. At Mr. A's home in Dobong-gu, Seoul, police discovered 15 containers of flammable materials, such as plastic bottles filled with thinner and detergent bottles, as well as an ignition device. This device was set to ignite at noon on July 21, the day after the murder.
Incheon Yeonsu Police Station announced on the 21st that they are investigating a man in his 60s on charges of killing his son by firing a homemade gun at an apartment in Songdo-dong, Yeonsu-gu, Incheon. The photo shows the bullets used in the crime. Photo by Yonhap News
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