Family of 5 found dead in Gyeongsan apartment complex

Five members of a family were found dead in an apartment complex in Gyeongsan, North Gyeongsang, after the friend of the deceased father received a text message containing venting over hardships, as well as the passcode to the house.

[YONHAP]

Five members of a family were found dead in an apartment complex in Gyeongsan, North Gyeongsang, after the friend of the deceased father received a text message containing venting over hardships, as well as the passcode to the house.

The bodies were discovered around 11:15 a.m. Sunday in an apartment complex located in Seobu-dong, Gyeongsan, according to local police. The deceased included the man and his wife, his father and mother and his teenage son.

Police received a report from a friend of the man, who received a text message that expressed despair and included the passcode to the family’s front door.

Police officers were immediately dispatched to the scene and contacted emergency medical responders. Inside the apartment, officers found the man, his wife, his son and his mother dead. They later checked the nearby apartment of the man’s father, who lived alone, and found him dead as well.

No signs of intrusion or foul play were discovered at either location, police said. No suicide note was found. The homes were reportedly in a relatively orderly state.

Police cordoned off the area around the apartment complex shortly after the discovery and temporarily restricted resident access.

Investigators are currently reviewing surveillance camera footage and phone records to determine the timeline and movements of the family before their deaths. They also plan to question relatives and acquaintances to identify any financial or domestic hardships.

“We are working to determine the exact circumstances of the incident and plan to conduct autopsies to establish the causes of death,” a police official said.

If you or someone you know is feeling emotionally distressed or struggling with thoughts of suicide, LifeLine Korea can be contacted at 1588-9191 or the Crisis Counseling Center at 1577-0199. The Seoul Global Center offers English-language counseling, contact 02-2075-4180 (+1) to arrange a session. Other international helplines can be found at www.befrienders.org.

This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom. BY KIM JUNG-SEOK [yoon.soyeon@joongang.co.kr]