A jobless bread earner as brittle as glass

People hesitate before killing themselves. In most cases, they cannot kill themselves at once. They often end up in failure after several suicidal attempts or commit suicide after giving a fatal wound to themselves at last. Hesitation wounds are the result of self-harm, not fatal wounds. Kang, a 48-year-old man who killed his wife and two daughters, also had hesitation marks. He strangled them to death but did not have the courage to kill himself.

Kang could not easily change his identity as a man who graduated from prestigious Yonsei University, served as a director of a 3D computer design company, and possessed an apartment worth around 1.1 billion won (approx. 1 million U.S. dollars) in the affluent Gangnam area and a Honda Accord. This may explain why he took out a loan of 500 million won (454,700 dollars) on his apartment after he lost his job three years ago and gave his wife four million won (363,800 dollars) every month, pretending to go to work. He kept his unemployment secret to his daughters even after his wife learned it, and paid 300,000 won (272.8 dollars) for an alumni fee every year.

To overcome his unemployment, he invested in securities only to lose 270 million won (245,570 dollars). His real crisis came when he could no longer pretend to go to work after losing money in trading. He could not hide the fact to his daughters, his parents and in-laws, and even his friends. In his will, he wrote, “I’ve come to a dead end.” Although it was a big loss to lose 270 million won (245,570 dollars) during unemployment, the dead end was rather psychological than economic. If he sells the 1.1 billion won worth of apartment, pays back 500 million won (454,700 dollars) and adds his bank balance of 130 million won (118,240 dollars), he will still have 730 million won (663,900 dollars).

After killing his wife and two daughters, he drove away from the apartment. When he arrived in Cheongju, North Chungcheong Province, he called 119 and said, “I killed my wife and daughters.” He even informed them of the password of his apartment door. He was caught by police while driving the highway. He was said to be in a daze, even not knowing where he was. It leaves a bitter taste in the mouth to see a bread winner who is as brittle as glass, unlike the tough one in the movie “Ode to My Father.”