Gwangju: A local court convened an arrest warrant hearing for a man in his 40s accused of killing his family by driving their car into the sea. The suspect, identified only by his surname Ji, appeared at the Gwangju District Court, located approximately 270 kilometers south of Seoul, for the hearing at 11 a.m.
According to Yonhap News Agency, Ji, aged 49, was escorted from the Gwangju Bukbu Police Station's detention center but declined to respond to reporters' inquiries regarding his guilt or remorse for his sons' deaths. He faces allegations of intentionally driving the family vehicle into the sea on Sunday, resulting in the deaths of his 49-year-old wife and their two sons, who were in high school. Authorities suspect that Ji escaped the submerged car without attempting to save his family members.
The tragic incident occurred near Jindo port, roughly 350 kilometers south of Seoul, where police later retrieved the bodies from the submerged vehicle. Ji, formerly employed as a construction worker, admitted to the police that the act was a suicide attempt with his family due to overwhelming financial problems, including a debt of 160 million won (US$116,379).
The police have sought assistance from the National Forensic Service for conducting autopsies on the victims. The decision on whether to issue the arrest warrant is anticipated to be made by the court later in the day.