Despaired Mother Kills Three Children and Herself

“Card companies keep calling me and say that I have debt to pay off. I had to borrow money to take my sick daughter to hospital. I cannot sleep at night thinking of the future of my children…”

A 34-year-old housewife identified only by her surname Son, jumped to her death from a high-story building apartment in Cheongchen-dong, Incheon on July 17 with her three children. The police assumed that Son chose to jump to her death with three children after financially suffering for years.

Some 10 family members, including Son`s husband Cho and her young brother, were sitting before the pictures of the dead at the hospital`s memorial house. They asked the press to leave them alone, saying, “Get out, or we will call the police.”

Cho traveled to Seoul from Daejeon having heard the news. He sobbed with his head down, “She was a good wife and mother despite the financial difficulties we had to go through.”

It was three years ago when the furniture company Cho had worked for went bankrupt. Since then, he has been working as a migrant laborer without having a regularly paid job.

Son gave birth to their youngest daughter right after he lost his job. Taking care of three children, she could not find time to have a job. Feeling sorry, however, she worked at a nearby restaurant whenever time allowed.

Son borrowed 10 million won from a bank and another 30 million won by using her husband`s cards. She managed to borrow money from a card company to pay off debt to another for some time. But her husband and herself were soon put on the blacklist for not paying debt in time.

“My sister called me on July 9 and asked for some money, saying she had to take her daughter to hospital. So I wired 50,000 won,” said Son`s 36-year-old elder sister. “When I asked why she did not answer the phone, she sighed that she pulled off the cord because card companies kept calling her.”

A primary school Son`s 8-year-old daughter was attending mourned the death of the student. Son`s daughter could not join a swimming lesson since she did not brought 3,800 won fees.

“The swimming lesson was canceled due to rain, but she was such a jolly kid that we did not know that her family was in so much trouble,” said one of teachers at the school.

run-juno@donga.com kchwang@donga.com