The full details of the incident in which a man in his 60s killed his son with a homemade gun in an apartment in Songdo, Incheon, on the 20th, have not yet been revealed. The suspect in this case, referred to as Mr. A, reportedly stated to police during questioning regarding the motive for the crime, "Do not try to know." It is also reported that he refused to attend the substantive examination of his arrest warrant on the 22nd.
In this situation, various rumors about Mr. A and the incident are spreading online and on mobile platforms. According to ChosunBiz's coverage, most of them appear to be far from the truth.
◇"Father is of Chinese descent" "They said he is not his biological son" ... false information spreading
A comment stating that "Mr. A is of Chinese descent and obtained Korean nationality through naturalization" was posted on an article from an internet portal site. However, a representative from the Incheon Yeonsu Police Station, which is investigating the firearm murder case, stated, "Mr. A is a Korean who completed his military service."
Additionally, there were speculations that the relationship between Mr. A and his deceased son, referred to as Mr. B, was "not that of a biological father and biological son." The police explained that this is also "not true." Mr. A divorced his wife (Mr. B's mother) 20 years ago. According to the police, despite the divorce, there was still contact between the father and son. If they were not biological, that would be a difficult situation.
Furthermore, there were media reports suggesting that "Mr. A was blamed by his son Mr. B for the reason for the divorce from his wife 20 years ago, indicating family discord." However, a representative from the Yeonsu Police Station stated, "Such discussions have not arisen during the investigation process."
◇"Mr. A has a record of breaking a glass window in the next apartment with a slingshot in 2023" ... unrelated incident
Social media (SNS) circulated a message claiming that "Mr. A shot a metal ball with a homemade gun at the side apartment in 2023, breaking the window of the high-rise unit and was caught by police a week later."
In fact, there was an incident in July 2023 where a man in his 60s shot a metal ball with a slingshot, damaging the windows of three units' balconies in Songdo. According to reports at the time, the man was arrested and indicted for damage to special property while residing in a 32-story apartment.
However, Park Sang-jin, chief of the Yeonsu Police Station, stated during a briefing on the 21st, "Mr. A has no prior offenses related to firearms." A representative from the Yeonsu Police Station also remarked, "The slingshot incident in 2023 occurred in a completely different complex from where this incident took place."
◇"The divorced wife is a CEO of a famous beauty company" ... the company stated, "We cannot confirm this"
Mr. A's ex-wife, referred to as Ms. C, is known to be the CEO of a famous beauty company in Korea. This company has 130 branches domestically and 11 overseas.
When ChosunBiz contacted the company where Ms. C is known to be the CEO, they received the response that "It is a personal matter of the representative, so the company cannot confirm it." However, it was noted that Ms. C did not attend work on both the 21st and 22nd.
A representative from the Yeonsu Police Station also stated, "We have not confirmed anything about Ms. C," adding that it is "an issue we cannot verify."