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Shooting suspect mum on motive as wild rumors circulate online

Published: 22 Jul. 2025, 18:21

LIM JEONG-WON
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Park Sang-jin, chief of Yeonsu Police Precinct in Incheon, speaks during a press briefing on the July 20 shooting at the precinct on July 21. [YONHAP]

A man in his 60s who fatally shot his son with a homemade firearm in Songdo, Incheon, has refused to explain his motive during police questioning, as rumors about the family of the suspect and victim have swarmed online.

The suspect, a 62-year-old man who shot his son on Sunday, stated only that there were "family issues” when asked about his motive for the killing, according to the Yeonsu Police Precinct in Incheon on Tuesday. Despite repeated questioning, he reportedly told police, “Stop trying to find out,” and has otherwise remained evasive.

The suspect has also declined to explain why he constructed the firearm himself, used it to kill his 33-year-old son — who had thrown him a birthday party — and installed flammable materials and a timer in his apartment in Seoul.

Police suspect the incident may be connected to longstanding conflict between the suspect and his son over his divorce two decades ago from the son’s mother, a well-known aesthetics business executive.

After the killing, the suspect reportedly told police that he had planned to take his own life by jumping into the Han River or heading to Misari, Gyeonggi.

He also expressed his intention not to appear at his pretrial detention hearing scheduled for 2 p.m. Tuesday at the Incheon District Court.

In an effort to determine the motive, police plan to bring in a criminal profiler to build rapport with the suspect. They noted that in past cases, suspects who initially refused to cooperate eventually opened up to profilers over time.

Explosives found at the Seoul residence of a suspect who shot his son at an apartment complex in Songdo, Incheon, are seen in this photo provided by the Incheon Police Agency. [INCHEON POLICE AGENCY]

The suspect is accused of firing a homemade gun inside his son’s 33rd-floor apartment in Songdo, Yeonsu District, at 9:31 p.m. on Sunday. The day of the attack was also the suspect’s birthday, and the celebration had been organized by the victim. His daughter-in-law, two grandchildren and several acquaintances were also present at the time.

The daughter-in-law called 112 and reported, “My father-in-law left in the middle of the birthday party, then returned with a gun and shot my husband.”

The suspect told investigators that he had learned to make firearms through YouTube videos and had stored bullets he purchased 20 years ago in a warehouse.

At the suspect’s residence in Ssangmun-dong, Dobong District, Seoul, police found 15 explosives, including PET bottles filled with thinner, detergent bottles and milk jugs, along with an ignition device. The timer had been set to ignite at noon on Monday.

Authorities have added attempted arson to the list of charges against the suspect.

Police lines are seen draped over the entrance to a residence in an apartment complex in Yeonsu District, Incheon, on July 21, where a father shot his son a day earlier. [YONHAP]

As investigations on the suspect continue, an interview that the suspect’s ex-wife, the well-known aesthetics business executive and the victim’s mother, had given years ago has resurfaced, drawing attention from netizens.

The executive detailed how she had struggled for years to accumulate the funds for running her business, as she had to pay for her ex-husband’s college tuition, and how she had built the aesthetics franchise almost from scratch.

She also expressed great affection for her son, for whom she said she “would do anything for him to be happy.”

Unchecked rumors also circulated online, including stories of the suspect being a naturalized Korean citizen of Chinese birth, and that the victim had not been the suspect’s own son and had been adopted or fathered by another person. Another rumor that the suspect was the same person who had shot steel bullets into a neighbor’s house in Songdo, Incheon, in March 2023 also fueled online communities.

Police confirmed that none of these rumors are factual, adding, “Please refrain from making assumptions as this could hurt the bereaved family.”

Translated from the JoongAng Ilbo using generative AI and edited by Korea JoongAng Daily staff.
BY KIM JI-HYE, LIM JEONG-WON [[email protected]]