A 63-year-old man fatally shot his 34-year-old son during a family gathering in Songdo, Incheon, turning a birthday celebration into a deadly tragedy. The suspect, identified as Cho, used a homemade shotgun in front of the victim’s wife, young children, and friends. Police were alerted to the incident around 9:30 p.m. on Sunday after receiving a call from the victim’s wife, who reported that her father-in-law had shot her husband during the party.
The suspect is believed to have meticulously planned the killing of his son using a homemade firearm fashioned from metal piping and 12-gauge shotgun shells. According to investigators, Cho fired three shots—two of which struck his son in the chest and abdomen, killing him in front of his wife, young children, and a friend. The incident took place on the 33rd floor of a residential apartment in Songdo, Incheon, during a family gathering celebrating the son’s birthday.
After briefly stepping out of the apartment, Cho returned with the improvised weapon he had stored in a rental car. Police believe he constructed the firearm himself after watching instructional videos on YouTube. The gun did not require additional gunpowder; the firing mechanism struck the shotgun shell directly, igniting the internal charge and discharging metal pellets. Authorities stated that each shell contained 12 buckshot pellets, similar in size to BB pellets.
Following the shooting, Cho fled the scene in the rental vehicle, triggering a citywide manhunt. He was captured in Seoul’s Bangbae neighborhood nearly three hours later, after attempting to avoid a police checkpoint. Inside the car, police discovered 11 additional pipe guns—10 of them loaded—and 86 shotgun shells. Cho allegedly told officers he purchased the ammunition over two decades ago from a private seller, though he held no firearms license.
The investigation expanded to Cho’s residence in Seoul’s Dobong District, where authorities found 15 makeshift explosive devices. The IEDs were built using plastic bottles, filled with thinner, and connected to ignition mechanisms with timers set to detonate at noon the following day. Cho reportedly told investigators he had no intention of returning home and had timed the explosions to avoid harming others. More than 100 residents were evacuated while the bomb squad safely defused the devices.
Police believe the motive stemmed from deep-rooted resentment linked to a divorce that took place 20 years earlier. Cho’s ex-wife, currently overseas and working as the CEO of a major beauty franchise, was often blamed by Cho’s son for the family’s breakdown. Cho told investigators his son had repeatedly held him accountable for the divorce, fueling years of tension between the two despite occasional contact and shared family photos from previous birthdays.
The crime has shocked many in South Korea, where gun violence is rare due to strict firearm regulations. Police now suspect that the murder was premeditated, pointing to the large cache of weapons, the method of assembly, and the timing of events. Although no prior criminal record, military training, or psychiatric history has been confirmed, Cho did mention a past attempt to purchase ammunition during a suicidal crisis—though no formal records exist of that incident.
Authorities have requested an autopsy to determine the exact cause of death and have launched a psychological evaluation of the suspect with the help of criminal profilers. Police also plan to examine whether anyone else may have been targeted, given the presence of multiple firearms and explosives. Meanwhile, the victim’s wife and children, who witnessed the crime, are being provided with psychological support.
