Police officers are called to serve and protect, but one officer became the very evil that people needed protection from. 58 people died at his hands, and about 35 others were wounded.
After serving in the marines in the late 1970s, Woo Bum Kon followed in his father’s footsteps. In 1981, Woo became a police officer like his father and, according to a report by The Dong-A Ilbo, he was also able to work at the Blue House as a guard. However, Woo’s short-lived career as a police officer in Kungyu Village was far from illustrious. He was a heavy drinker, and his intoxicated behavior resulted in a demotion.
On April 26, 1982, 26-year-old Woo returned from home from work, where he had reported for duty at 4:00 PM. At about 7:30 PM, Woo assaulted his girlfriend, Chun Mal Soon, in their shared home and destroyed their furniture before heading to the reservists’ armory to steal weapons. At around 9:30 PM that night, Woo’s deadly rampage began.
Between 9:30 PM and approximately 3:30 AM the next morning, Woo went from village to village in Uiryeong County, shooting and throwing grenades at civilians. Because Woo was a police officer, villagers who might not have otherwise opened their doors to him, invited him inside and were subsequently shot. Woo also broke into houses, shooting a family of four in their sleep, and open-fired at people on the streets.
At around 1:40 AM, Woo once again used his identity as a police officer to convince a 68-year-old man, Suh In Su, to let him into his farmhouse. Woo held Suh and his family hostage for about two hours before the police finally hunted him down.
As officers closed in to capture Woo, Woo detonated two grenades he had strapped to his chest, killing himself and three of his hostages. Suh, though seriously injured, survived the detonation, unlike most of Woo’s targets.
Following Woo’s horrific spree killing, the Interior Minister of South Korea, Suh Chung Hwa, resigned, believing that he had failed to protect the peace. Four officers were arrested for negligence of duty and the provincial chief of police was suspended. Last year, a memorial for victims of the massacre was erected in Uiryeong.
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