This photo shows a metal pellet that the suspect used when firing his homemade pistol. - Photo: Incheon Metropolitan Police Department via Yonhap
SEOUL: A 62-year-old man accused of fatally shooting his son with a homemade firearm said had “felt betrayed” after being cut off financially by the family, local media reported Friday (July 25).
According to multiple media reports, the suspect told profilers during a recent questioning that he had been receiving around 3 million won (US$2,179) a month from the family business.
The payments, made in the form of a salary, with him registered as an employee, stopped “at some point last year.”
He had since relied on a lump-sum withdrawal from his national pension to cover living expenses.
Describing himself as "a good person who lived a decent life in the past," the suspect expressed resentment toward the son, saying the victim “turned his back” on him.
The family business he mentioned appears to be a skincare franchise founded by his ex-wife.
He has reportedly been unemployed for the past three to four years and has been living in a top-floor penthouse apartment in Incheon, spanning some 230 square meters, which is owned by his ex-wife.
The Incheon Metropolitan Police Department, which is investigating the case, said that while such statements were included in the profiling report, the investigation is still ongoing, with no definitive conclusion yet on the suspect’s motives.
The fatal shooting occurred at 9.31pm, Sunday, at the suspect's home during a birthday celebration reportedly organised by the victim for the suspect, and was attended by the victim’s wife, their two children and other family acquaintances.
The following day, the police found 15 containers filled with flammable liquids such as plastic bottles filled with thinner and household chemicals as well as ignition devices at the suspect’s residence located in Dobong-gu, northern Seoul.
The police said a timer had been set to trigger a fire at noon on Monday.
On Tuesday, the victim’s family claimed that the suspect had also targeted his daughter-in-law, two grandchildren and others present at the scene.
They rejected the suspect’s initial claim of long-standing family conflict, stating there was “no mitigating motive” for his actions. - The Korea Herald/ANN
