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Man kills himself after allegedly murdering girlfriend, acquaintance amid string of 'intimate partner homicides'

Published: 05 Aug. 2025, 16:16

An inspector checks the safety barriers of Machang Bridge in Changwon, South Gyeongsang, in 2017. [JOONGANG ILBO]

CHANGWON, South Gyeongsang — A man in his 50s suspected of killing his girlfriend and an acquaintance died by suicide merely four hours after his first alleged murder, according to police in South Gyeongsang on Tuesday.

The man jumped off the Machang Bridge in Changwon, South Gyeongsang, at around 5:19 p.m. on Monday, according to local police and maritime authorities. Surveillance footage showed the suspect parking his vehicle on the roadside, climbing over a two-meter-high (6.6-feet) safety railing, and jumping into the sea.

The Changwon Coast Guard retrieved the suspect’s body shortly after receiving a report from the bridge management office.

According to the South Gyeongsang Provincial Police Agency, the suspect was being pursued as a suspect in two murder cases after his family contacted emergency services at 4:12 p.m. the same day. They told police they had received a message from the suspect urging them to “check the drawer,” where they found a 20-page handwritten letter.

The letter reportedly included indications of the suspect’s intention to end his life and referenced the killings. Based on the letter and family testimony, police searched for two women, both in their 50s, identified as the suspect’s girlfriend and an acquaintance, respectively.

The suspect’s girlfriend was found dead in an apartment in Gimhae, South Gyeongsang, while the acquaintance was discovered in a low-rise residential building in the Jinhae District of Changwon. Police presume the suspect killed both victims with a knife around 1 p.m. and 3 p.m., respectively, before driving to the bridge.

Investigators believe the suspect had been in a relationship with his girlfriend for about a year and had known the acquaintance through work. There were no prior criminal complaints involving the suspect and either victim.

Machang Bridge in Changwon, South Gyeongsang [JOONGANG ILBO]

Police are currently examining multiple possible motives, including romantic disputes and financial issues. The suspect’s mobile phone has been secured and is undergoing digital forensic analysis.

The company managing Machang Bridge expressed frustration that the suspect was still able to jump, despite several safety modifications made in 2017, including raising the safety barriers to two meters from one meter, and installing rotating cylindrical railings to prevent people from climbing over.

According to the company, the suspect initially slipped while attempting to scale the safety railing but tried again and succeeded in climbing over.

“Since we enhanced the safety features, suicide attempts have dropped dramatically — to the point where they rarely happen more than once a year,” a company official said.

“In many cases, especially involving people under the influence, it’s difficult to get over the railing, and patrol officers have been able to intervene quickly. But this time, it all happened too fast.”

The case also adds to a growing number of so-called “intimate partner homicides” in Korea. On July 29, a man in his 20s was arrested for fatally stabbing his ex-girlfriend in a street in Seo District, Daejeon. He ingested poison before his arrest and was taken to a hospital.

In January, a man in his 20s was arrested for attempting to push his girlfriend out a hotel window in Gwangjin District, eastern Seoul. In the same month, a woman in her 20s was found dead in a home in Paju, Gyeonggi, and her live-in partner, the suspected killer, died after stabbing himself in the abdomen.

Police statistics show that 192 of the 778 homicide suspects in Korea in 2023 — about 24.6 percent — targeted a current or former spouse or romantic partner.

If you or someone you know is feeling emotionally distressed or struggling with thoughts of suicide, LifeLine Korea can be contacted at 1588-9191 or the Crisis Counseling Center at 1577-0199. The Seoul Global Center offers English-language counseling, contact 02-2075-4180 (+1) to arrange a session. Other international helplines can be found at www.befrienders.org.

Translated from the JoongAng Ilbo using generative AI and edited by Korea JoongAng Daily staff.
BY AN DAE-HUN [[email protected]]