Korean Supreme Court Upholds 3-Year Prison Sentence for Father Who Attempted Family Suicide

By Juwon Kang, March 24, 2026

Court: Supreme Court of Korea
Case: 2025도17980
Decision Date: January 15, 2026

A father was convicted after attempting a family suicide involving his wife and two teenage children.
The incident occurred after the father became overwhelmed by mounting debt linked to online gambling.
He already had outstanding loans and later incurred an additional debt of about 34 million KRW.
Feeling hopeless about their financial situation, the couple decided to kill their children and then take their own lives.

First Attempt (December 15, 2024 – early morning)
- The couple tried to create carbon monoxide poisoning using burning charcoal briquettes.
- The attempt failed when the flame went out naturally.
Second Attempt (same day – evening)
- The family gathered in a vehicle with burning charcoal briquettes to attempt suicide again.
- Police intervened and stopped the attempt, preventing fatalities.
Prosecutors later charged both parents with attempted murder and child abuse.

Trial Court
- The father received 3 years in prison and was ordered to complete a 40-hour child abuse treatment program.
- The mother received 3 years in prison, suspended for 5 years.
The court emphasized that:
- The parents attempted twice to kill their children.
- The acts involved serious abuse toward minors.
However, the court considered several mitigating factors:
- The family’s debt problem appeared to have been resolved afterward.
- The children reportedly wanted to continue living with their parents.
- The mother had stable employment and continued caring for the children.
The father appealed the decision, while the mother did not.

The appeals court rejected the father’s appeal and upheld the sentence.
The defendant argued that:
- He voluntarily abandoned the crime, or
- The crime had not reached the stage of attempted execution.
The Supreme Court dismissed the appeal, confirming the lower court’s ruling.
The Court found no legal error in the lower court’s reasoning, particularly regarding:
- The start of the attempted murder
- The claim of voluntary abandonment of the crime

In Korean criminal law, attempting to kill one’s children during a family suicide attempt can constitute attempted murder and child abuse.
Courts may consider family circumstances and the welfare of surviving children, but such factors do not eliminate criminal liability.
The Supreme Court confirmed that the parents’ actions had clearly progressed to the stage of attempted murder, making criminal punishment appropriate.

KLAWGURU.COM