Man arrested over drowning death of niece in Gyeongju

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Published: 24 Mar. 2026, 20:36

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A man in North Gyeongsang was arrested on suspicion of murdering his adult niece whom he was caring for.

The Pohang Coast Guard Station said Tuesday that it had taken the suspect into custody and is seeking a warrant to formally detain him on a murder charge.

The suspect is accused of entering the water with his niece at a harbor in Gyeongju on Sunday night and failing to rescue her when she began struggling, leading to her death.

“I became despondent over my situation after caring for my niece and my mother, who has dementia, for about six years,” the suspect reportedly told Coast Guard investigators. “I intended for us to die together.”

Investigators also accuse the suspect of giving four or five sleeping pills each to his niece and mother at the lodge where they were staying on the same day. The Coast Guard plans to continue investigating the exact motive and circumstances of the crime.

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 KIM JI-HYE [[email protected]]