Father in 40s kills wife and sons by driving into sea over debt burden
Mokpo Coast Guard retrieves a vehicle carrying a family of four from the sea at Jindo Port in South Jeolla Province, Monday. Courtesy of Mokpo Coast Guard.
A man in his 40s who drove his car into the sea, killing his wife and two teenage sons in Jindo, South Jeolla Province, confessed to committing the act due to mounting debt, police said Tuesday.
Gwangju Bukbu Police said Ji, 49, who is accused of murdering his family, told investigators he was overwhelmed by financial burdens.
Ji worked as a rebar foreman at construction sites, subcontracting jobs and overseeing a team. Police said he had accumulated about 160 million won ($116,000) in debt after struggling to pay his workers and failing to manage contracts with construction firms.
During questioning, Ji said he gave his wife and sons sleeping pills prescribed to his wife, then intentionally drove into the sea.
The incident occurred around 1:12 a.m. on Sunday, when Ji drove his car into the waters off Jindo Port with his wife, 49, and their two sons, aged 18 and 16, inside.
Ji survived by escaping through the driver's side window and fled to Gwangju using a vehicle provided by an acquaintance, surnamed Kim, 49. Both were arrested on Monday evening.
Earlier that day, at 2:22 p.m., a local high school reported the younger son’s unexplained absence, prompting police to launch an investigation.
Authorities tracked the family’s phones to the Jindo Port area and obtained CCTV footage showing Ji’s vehicle plunging into the sea.
Police revealed that Ji had taken his family on a trip to Muan County on Friday and checked out of their lodging the following night. He gave them sleeping pills disguised as supplements while passing through Mokpo before carrying out the fatal act.
Authorities continue to investigate the case while preparing to request Ji’s formal arrest.
This article from the Hankook Ilbo, the sister publication of The Korea Times, is translated by a generative AI and edited by The Korea Times.