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Wife who died in Jindo family drowning may have known of plan: Police

Published: 06 Jun. 2025, 17:16

A 49-year-old man accused of killing his wife and children by driving their car into the sea is escorted to a detention warrant hearing at the Gwangju District Court on June 4. [YONHAP]

A man who drove his car into the ocean, killing his wife and two teenage sons, may have conspired with his wife in planning the fatal incident, according to police.

The Gwangju Bukbu Police Precinct said Friday that dashcam footage recovered from the vehicle showed a 49-year-old man surnamed Ji, who is under investigation for murder, discussing plans with his wife shortly before the car plunged into the sea.

Based on the footage, police believe Ji’s wife was alive before the crash and that the couple took sleeping pills together. Ji was initially believed to have acted alone, but authorities now suspect his wife was aware of the plan.

Investigators found that four days before the incident, the couple bought beverages near their home to mix with sleeping pills.

The family left their home on May 30 and spent the night at a pension in Muan, South Jeolla, before passing through Jindo. They arrived at a park parking lot in Mokpo at around 10:30 p.m. on May 31.

At that point, Ji and his wife allegedly gave their two sons drinks laced with sleeping pills, then drove to Jindo Port in Imhoe-myeon, Jindo County. Around 1:12 a.m. on June 1, they drove into the sea with the entire family inside the vehicle.

Ji alone escaped the car and was later seen in surveillance footage walking into a public restroom on a road near Seomang Port about 40 minutes later. He reportedly slept on a nearby mountain and called his brother using a store owner’s phone at 3:38 p.m. on June 2.

His brother asked an acquaintance to arrange transportation, and Ji fled Jindo for Gwangju. He was apprehended 44 hours after the incident near Yangdong Market in Gwangju’s Seo District.

Ji, a construction worker, reportedly told police that he was in deep debt — around 160 million won ($117,700) — and wanted to end his life with his family. He said his wife suffered from bipolar disorder, and caring for her had affected his job and ability to support the family.

“I took sleeping pills before the crash,” Ji reportedly said during questioning. “But when we entered the water, I got scared and escaped the car.”

Police are continuing to investigate whether Ji’s wife was a willing accomplice, including by conducting an autopsy and analyzing her mobile phone data.

Translated from the JoongAng Ilbo using generative AI and edited by Korea JoongAng Daily staff.
JANG GU-SEUL [[email protected]]