Analysis of Parricide and Filicide in Korea.

Jung, Sung Kook; Lee, Jae Ran; Kim, Jin Young; Taq, Gi Joo; Oh, Ik Joon; Myoung, Eui Cheol

doi:2014.38.2.66

Korean J Leg Med > Volume 38(2); 2014 > Article

Original article

Korean Journal of Legal Medicine 2014;38(2):66-72.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.7580/kjlm.2014.38.2.66 Published online May 31, 2014.

Analysis of Parricide and Filicide in Korea.

Sung Kook Jung, Jae Ran Lee, Jin Young Kim, Gi Joo Taq, Ik Joon Oh, Eui Cheol Myoung

¹Scientific Investigation Division, Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency, Seoul, Korea. jsk7780@hanmail.net
²Scientific Investigation Division, Gangwon Provincial Police Agency, Chuncheon-si, Gangwon, Korea.

Abstract

Parricide, the crime of murdering a parent, accounts for about 5% of all homicides. Filicide is the crime of murdering one's own child. This study aimed to review demographic features and criminal characteristics of individuals who committed parricide and filicide in Republic of Korea (ROK). This study is based on data from the Korea Police Crime Analysis System, from 2006~2013. We assessed the diverse characteristics of both victims and perpetrators. Over the selected period, 381 parents were killed by their children and 230 children were killed by parents in the ROK. Parricides caused by schizophrenic murders accounted for 39.6% of all cases. Moreover, approximately 44.4% of the perpetrators attempted suicide following the maternal filicide. In our findings, psychiatric illness was a very important predictor in parricide, and these further suggest that young mothers with severe mental illness require careful monitoring by mental health support service.

Key Words: Parricide, Matricide, Patricide, Schizophrenia, Filicide