Homemade Gun Tragedy: Father Shoots Son, Raises Alarms in South Korea

A deadly domestic shooting in Songdo, Incheon, has reignited concerns in South Korea over the lack of regulation on homemade firearms and the ease of access to online content that explains how to build them.

On Sunday, a 63-year-old man was arrested on charges of murder after allegedly shooting his son with a homemade shotgun packed with metal pellets at their residence in Songdo, Incheon. The 33-year-old victim was rushed to the hospital but succumbed to his injuries.

Officials from the Incheon Yeonsu Police Station later informed the press that during questioning, the suspect admitted to learning how to make the firearm by watching tutorial videos on YouTube, citing ongoing family conflicts as the motive for the crime.

While searching the suspect’s vehicle, police discovered nine gun barrels along with additional raw materials needed to assemble firearms, such as metal pipes, stored at his home. In total, law enforcement seized 15 manufactured guns and explosive devices from his car and residence.

Following the suspect’s confession, concerns have grown in South Korean society over the accessibility of information on manufacturing weapons and the lack of proper management of such content.

A simple online search for keywords like “DIY gun” or “homemade pistol” on platforms such as YouTube yields numerous videos demonstrating how to create homemade firearms using materials like steel pipes, metal rods, and even cardboard. On social media platform X, posts offering instructions on manufacturing guns with 3D printers or sharing links to websites providing such services are easily accessible.
Under South Korean law, the possession, manufacture, or distribution of firearms is strictly prohibited without police authorization. Legal use is limited to specific purposes such as licensed hunting or military-related manufacturing. Violations of this law are punishable by three to 15 years in prison or fines ranging from 30 million KRW to 100 million KRW ($22,500 to $75,000).

Although the manufacture of homemade guns is strictly prohibited, it is incredibly difficult to uncover such cases—especially when tutorials on assembling firearms are posted on online platforms by users outside South Korea.

According to the Korean National Police Agency, no illicit homemade firearms were confiscated in nationwide crackdowns over the last five years, from 2020 to 2024. However, four cases involving such weapons—two in 2023 and one each in 2022 and 2021—were reported during the same period.

Experts are calling for tighter controls on homemade firearms to ensure that the manufacturing of unregistered weapons is regulated to some degree.

“The government needs to take stronger action against online content that provides instructions on how to assemble homemade guns,” Professor Kwack Dae-gyung from Dongguk University’s Department of Police Administration told The Korea Herald.
“Authorities must intensify surveillance of such content and take appropriate actions to prevent its further distribution online, such as permanently removing similar material.”

Experts also note that even with stricter content controls, enforcement alone may not be sufficient to prevent similar incidents, given the accessibility of everyday materials used in these weapons.

“Since the firearm used in the recent Songdo shooting incident was made using commonly available parts, it appears challenging to establish effective countermeasures against the distribution of such materials,” Professor Lee Keon-su from Baekseok University’s Department of Police Administration added in comments to The Korea Herald.

“Nevertheless, to prevent similar crimes, a reporting system should be established that allows individuals to alert authorities when they observe purchasing patterns that may indicate potential danger.”