South Korean father who shot son with homemade gun at birthday party ‘felt betrayed’
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Police tape sealing off the suspect’s apartment in Dobong, northern Seoul, on July 21 after the authorities found and safely removed makeshift explosives.
PHOTO: THE KOREA HERALD/ASIA NEWS NETWORK
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SEOUL - A 62-year-old man accused of fatally shooting his son with a homemade firearm
According to multiple media reports, the suspect told investigators during a recent questioning that he had been receiving around three million won (S$2,800) a month from the family business.
The payments, made in the form of a salary, with him registered as an employee, stopped “at some point last year”. He had since relied on a lump-sum withdrawal from his national pension to cover living expenses.
Describing himself as “a good person who lived a decent life in the past”, the suspect expressed resentment towards his son, saying the victim had “turned his back” on him.
The family business mentioned appears to be a skincare franchise founded by his former wife. He had reportedly been unemployed for the past three to four years, and had been living in a top-floor penthouse flat in Incheon, spanning some 230 sq m, which is owned by his former wife.
The Incheon Metropolitan Police Department, which is investigating the case, said that while such statements were included in the profiling report, the investigation is still ongoing, with no definitive conclusion yet on the suspect’s motives.
The fatal shooting occurred at 9.31pm (8.31pm Singapore time) on July 20 at the suspect’s home during a birthday celebration reportedly organised by the victim for the suspect. It was attended by the victim’s wife, their two children and other family acquaintances.
The following day, the police found 15 containers filled with flammable liquids such as plastic bottles filled with thinner and household chemicals as well as ignition devices at the suspect’s residence in Dobong-gu, northern Seoul. The police said a timer had been set to trigger a fire at noon on July 21.
On July 22, the victim’s family claimed that the suspect had also targeted his daughter-in-law, two grandchildren and others present at the scene.
They rejected the suspect’s initial claim of a longstanding family conflict, stating that there was “no mitigating motive” for his actions. THE KOREA HERALD/ASIA NEWS NETWORK
