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Yongin family murder sparks calls for tougher penalties on spouse, child killings

Published: 17 Apr. 2025, 11:23 Updated: 17 Apr. 2025, 16:53

A pedestrian on April 15 walks by the apartment where a man in his 50s killed five family members in Yongin, Gyeonggi. [NEWS1]

The case of a man in his 50s who murdered his elderly parents, wife and two daughters in Yongin, Gyeonggi, has renewed calls for harsher penalties for those who kill spouses or children — similar to the existing sentencing guidelines for parricide under Korean law.

Under the current Criminal Act, parricide — the killing of one’s parents — carries a minimum prison sentence of seven years or can be punishable by life imprisonment or the death penalty. In contrast, there is no corresponding clause that mandates harsher punishment for killing a spouse or one’s own children, who are considered lineal descendants.

The Yongin Seobu Police requested a pretrial detention warrant on Wednesday for the suspect on charges of parricide and murder. He told police during questioning that he "committed the crime out of despair over overwhelming debt and civil and criminal lawsuits related to a failed business."

“I couldn’t let my family inherit the debt," he said.

The suspect allegedly mixed sleeping pills into drinks before strangling five family members at their apartment on Monday evening: his parents in their 80s, his wife in her 50s, a daughter in her 20s and a daughter in her teens. The National Forensic Service has issued a preliminary autopsy report stating that the cause of death was “typical signs of strangulation.”

Police confirmed that the suspect had been under investigation for economic crimes such as fraud and violations of the Act on the Regulation of Conducting Fund-Raising Business Without Permission. Between 60 and 80 complaints had been filed with police in Gwangju, where he had been promoting a private rental housing development project.

The total amount of damages is estimated to be several billion won.

“We are continuing to investigate the exact motive based on the suspect’s statements and related evidence," said a police official.

A court sign on the Seoul Central District Court in Seocho District, southern Seoul [YONHAP]

While the killing of the man's parents is legally categorized as parricide, the murders of his wife and daughters are being prosecuted as ordinary murder.

Critics have long argued that because standard murder can carry as little as three years in prison — which can be suspended — Korea’s laws should be amended to raise the minimum sentencing for killings within the family.

Homicides involving close relationships are not uncommon.

According to the National Police Agency’s 2023 crime statistics, out of 291 murder victims, 51 were spouses or common-law partners of the perpetrator, and 39 were children — meaning 30.9 percent of victims were immediate family members.

In the National Assembly, several legislative efforts have been made to amend the Criminal Act to increase penalties for killing a spouse or child. In July 2022, Rep. Lee Tae-kyu of the People Power Party proposed a bill to classify the murder of a minor child as an aggravated offense equivalent to parricide.

In the current 22nd National Assembly, Democratic Party lawmaker Nam In-soon introduced a bill in February to amend Article 250 of the Criminal Act, which currently defines parricide, to also include aggravated penalties for the murder of spouses and lineal descendants. She also proposed a civil law revision to prevent a parent convicted of spousal murder from exercising property rights as the legal guardian of a minor child.

“I drafted the amendments in response to a case where a husband with a U.S. law license murdered his wife,” Nam said. “The goal is to strengthen punishment for crimes that violate fundamental human ethics.”

Some legal scholars, however, argue that the existing murder statutes already allow for maximum penalties, including life imprisonment or death. They caution that additional laws may not be necessary and that courts should retain flexibility to evaluate individual circumstances, particularly in cases involving domestic violence or abuse.

“Japan’s Supreme Court ruled in 1973 that harsher punishment for parricide was unconstitutional," said Han Sang-hoon, a professor at Yonsei University Law School. “Since particularly heinous familial murders can already be punished under existing statutes, some have argued that parricide provisions should be repealed rather than new ones added for killing children or spouses."

Meanwhile, police requested an arrest warrant for the suspect on Wednesday.

The pretrial detention hearing to determine whether the Yongin suspect will be formally arrested is expected to take place as early as Thursday. A decision is likely to be made later that afternoon or in the evening.

Translated from the JoongAng Ilbo using generative AI and edited by Korea JoongAng Daily staff.

BY SON SUNG-BAE, JANG GU-SEUL [[email protected]]