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Rise in murders involving family has experts calling for stronger state policies

Published: 16 Dec. 2025, 14:41 Updated: 16 Dec. 2025, 19:29

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An uptick in suspected murders involving family members is raising calls for stronger care policies and a more robust social safety net.

On Thursday, a man was found dead after apparently jumping from the 20th floor of an apartment building in Yongin, Gyeonggi. His young son was discovered dead in the back seat of his car. Based on the coroner's opinion that the boy died of asphyxiation due to pressure on his neck, police suspect the man killed his son before taking his own life.

Right before his death, the son, who attended a school for students with disabilities, had been picked up by his father after classes had ended for the day.

A suicide note found in the man's home read, “This is a suicide done out of failure.”

In a separate case on Dec. 8, another man was detained in Ulsan after allegedly killing his mother, who had dementia, and attempting to take his own life. The man reportedly told police that he was overwhelmed by his heavy debt and feared his mother would suffer alone after his death. He had been her sole caregiver for years.

Authorities and researchers link such cases to financial hardship and caregiving burdens. A 2022 study by the Korea Foundation for Suicide Prevention and a brain and cognitive sciences research team at KAIST analyzed 209 suicide notes left by people who killed family or close acquaintances between 2013 and 2020. For notes from cases that involved family, the most frequently mentioned words were “mom” at 3.5 percent, “dad” at 2.1 percent and “money” at 1.7 percent.

Parents who committed filicide often cited anxiety over their child's disabilities or health, as well as the fear their child would not be cared for after their own death. Likewise, adult children who killed their parents referenced their parent's chronic illness or dementia and the absence of alternative caregivers in the case of their own death.

Researchers emphasized the need for comprehensive support systems for the so-called sandwich generation, or adults caring for both their children and aging parents; better monitoring of high-risk individuals during economic crises; and expanded daily care services for the entire population to relieve pressure on individuals.

Other statistics support these experts' concerns. According to the National Police Agency, cases of parricide and attempted parricide rose from 48 in 2022 to 59 in 2023 and 60 in 2024.

A police line is set up around the flower bed of an apartment complex in Yongin, Gyeonggi, on the afternoon of Dec. 11. At around 5:55 p.m. that day, the body of a man was discovered. A young boy was also found dead in the man's car, his head reportedly covered with a plastic bag. Police are investigating the incident through forensic analysis and an autopsy to determine the exact circumstances. [NEWS1]

On Sunday in Yongin, Gyeonggi, police found an older woman dead in the home she shared with her son, who had repeatedly abused her. Home security camera footage showed him slapping his mother multiple times. He reportedly told police he had been caring for her since she developed dementia over a decade ago and hit her out of frustration when she refused to eat or take her medication.

“Society still places the burden of care solely on individuals or households, putting vulnerable people in desperate situations,” said Jegal Hyeon-sook, a professor of social welfare at Hanshin University. She stressed the need for institutional care, a shift in cultural and economic norms and policies that allow caregivers to remain in the workforce.

Prof. Chung Soon-dool of Ewha Womans University added that people must move away from the view that family members are personal possessions and instead recognize them as independent individuals.

“The state should be able to protect people, or individuals should be able to protect themselves [without involving a third party],” Prof. Chung said, calling for a broader definition of caregivers to include extended family and communities.

This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
BY JUN YUL [[email protected]]