‘Colorless Family Month’ Murder, Assault, and Threatening Crimes Against Family Members Increasing

Steady Increase in Crimes Against Family Members
Rise in Violent Crimes Such as Murder and Assault
Experts Say "Impact of Family Community Breakdown"

[Asia Economy Reporter Yoo Byung-don] Heo Mo (41), who was released from prison last December, demanded money from his 70-year-old mother under the pretext of independence at a villa in Dongjak-gu, Seoul. When his mother refused, their voices grew louder, and an enraged Heo strangled his mother to death. That was not the end. He also killed his son, who was sleeping in another room, in the same manner. Heo lived with his cohabitant for a long time with the two bodies wrapped in plastic and stored in a wardrobe. Heo’s crime was uncovered last month in mid-April when the school reported suspicion over the son’s absence after online classes began.

Although it is May, the month of family, crimes among family members are still increasing. This is the dark side of modern society, where family bonds have weakened due to nuclear families and other factors.

According to the National Police Agency on the 7th, the number of cases of assault against ascendants increased more than twice from 702 in 2013 to 1,540 in 2018, and the number of cases of threats against ascendants also surged more than threefold from 40 to 146 during the same period.

The situation is serious for violent crimes as well. During the same period, the number of domestic ascendant murders (including attempts) increased by about 43%, from 49 to 70 cases. The number of ascendant injuries also slightly increased from 320 to 331 cases. Additionally, among the 849 murder crimes recorded by the Supreme Prosecutors’ Office in 2018, 71 were ascendant murders, accounting for 8.4% of the total. This is a significant increase compared to 5.6% in 2017 and 5.7% in 2016.

In fact, A (55), who lived with his mother in her 80s, stabbed and killed her in a fit of anger after an argument on the morning of the 3rd. The Dongbu Police Station in Daegu tracked down A, who had disappeared, and arrested him on a nearby road after 6 p.m. the same day. A admitted to killing his mother during the police investigation.

In Jecheon, Chungbuk, there was also a case where a daughter assaulted her father to death. On the 27th of last month, B (54) got into an argument with her father (81) while intoxicated at a house in Jecheon, became enraged, and assaulted him, resulting in his death. Immediately after the crime, B reported to the police that her father had died at home, but she was arrested after the police found signs of assault on the father’s body.

Experts analyze that the disintegration of family communities due to nuclear families appears to have influenced the rapid increase in family crimes. Professor Kwak Dae-kyung of Dongguk University’s Department of Police Administration explained, "Economic problems often lead to emotional conflicts, which, in severe cases, result in crimes against ascendants."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.