By Kim Rahn
Staff Reporter
A policeman trying to prevent a 26-year-old man from committing suicide was killed when the man grabbed him by the hand before leaping from the roof of a building.
The man, identified only as In, went to the roof of a four-story apartment building in Busan Thursday afternoon and threatened to throw himself off the top.
A policeman, 35-year-old Jeon, climbed onto the roof in an attempt to persuade In to get down. However, the man suddenly grabbed Jeon's hand and jumped to the ground some 10 meters below at around 6:30 p.m. The two missed a mattress set up by guards below and were both pronounced dead on arrival at hospital.
According to the police, In had beaten his girlfriend unconscious earlier in the afternoon because she wanted to break up with him. Following the attack on his girlfriend he had climbed onto the roof of the house and threatened to jump unless her parents talked to him. Police tried to dissuade him for five hours, while also setting up the mattress on the ground.
``We almost succeeded in persuading In to climb down. But he appeared to suddenly change his mind,'' a police officer said.
Police are questioning In's girlfriend for more information regarding the incident.