A family birthday gathering in Incheon ended in tragedy when a father shot and killed his son with a homemade gun. Police later found a bomb in the father's Seoul apartment and uncovered a stockpile of improvised weapons.
A domestic shooting in South Korea over the weekend ended with a man dead, his father in custody, and a bomb squad evacuating more than 100 people from a Seoul apartment building.
On Sunday night around 9:30 p.m., police in Incheon received an emergency call reporting that a man had shot his own son in a high-rise residential complex in Songdo International City, a modern waterfront district in Incheon. The call came from the victim’s wife, who told police that her father-in-law had shot her husband.
According to the Incheon Yeonsu Police Station, the victim, a 33-year-old man whose mother was later confirmed to be a prominent skincare business executive, was rushed to the hospital, but did not survive.
The suspect, a 63-year-old man identified only as the victim’s father, allegedly fired two homemade shotgun rounds filled with metal pellets using an improvised firearm. The shooting occurred during a family gathering to celebrate the suspect’s birthday, with the victim’s wife, two young children, and other acquaintances present at the scene.
After the attack, the suspect fled the scene by car. Seoul police arrested him at approximately 12:15 a.m. Monday in the city’s Seocho District, about 30 kilometers from the crime scene, after a three-hour manhunt involving tactical units.
During questioning, the suspect told police he had learned how to make the firearm on YouTube and claimed he had bought the ammunition from another individual in the past. He also cited longstanding family conflict as a motive for the crime.
He further stated that he had planted an explosive device in his residence in Dobong-gu, northern Seoul. The Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency evacuated 105 residents from the building as the bomb squad searched the apartment. They discovered and safely removed a makeshift explosive made with accelerants and a timer. The apartment is reportedly registered under the name of the suspect’s wife.
Authorities also recovered nine gun barrels from the suspect’s vehicle and additional metal pipes from his home, suggesting he may have been assembling multiple firearms. In total, police seized 15 improvised weapons and explosive devices from his car and residence.
Photos shared online showed police tactical units and ambulances stationed outside the apartment complex in Songdo, prompting early speculation about a mass shooting. Authorities clarified there was only one victim and no further injuries.
Gun violence is extremely rare in South Korea, where private ownership of firearms is strictly regulated. The weapon used in the shooting was described by police as a crudely constructed pipe-shaped firearm, not commercially manufactured. Investigators are working with the National Forensic Service to analyze the firearm and explosive materials to determine how they were made and sourced.
“We have not confirmed whether the suspect manufactured all the components himself or acquired some of them from others,” a police official said. “We’re investigating the origins of the weapon and explosives, as well as the full motive behind the crime.”
The suspect remains in custody and is under investigation for murder and multiple violations of South Korea’s firearms and explosives laws.
mjh@heraldcorp.com
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