Korean man, 34, & his 4 children, including 5-month old baby, found dead in apartment

A father and his four children were found dead in their apartment in Ulsan, South Korea on Mar. 18.

According to local news outlet KBS News, the children were aged seven, five, two and five months. All five were found together in a single room

Suicide note found at the scene

According to the local police, as reported in Chosun Daily, the tragedy came to light after the eldest daughter's homeroom teacher grew concerned when the girl failed to show up to school for three consecutive days, raising suspicions of neglect.

This prompted her to file a police report, and officers later discovered the family unresponsive inside the apartment.

They also recovered a suicide note at the scene, which read: "I'm sorry to my wife. I love you" and "It's too hard to raise the children alone."

Two uneaten hamburgers and some French fries were also found on the dining table.

Financial difficulties

Police investigations found that the father had been experiencing financial difficulties.

He had no stable job, working only intermittently as a day labourer as he had to stay home to care for the baby, KBS News reported.

The situation worsened when his wife was remanded in a detention centre in late 2025 following her involvement in a crime.

It was also reported that the children had largely stopped attending school and daycare in the month before the discovery.

One neighbour recalled: "As recently as the beginning of this year, I saw the daycare vehicle picking up the children every morning, but recently neither the daycare vehicle nor the children have been seen."

The owner of a nearby convenience store also shared that the father and children would occasionally visit together, taking instant noodles and snacks on credit and repaying the amount later.

The children appeared happy, and there were no signs of abuse.

Financial assistance

According to Chosun Daily, from February to April 2025, the children's mother had applied for and received emergency livelihood and housing support of about 8,050,000 KRW (around S$6,865) from Ulju County, along with daily necessities such as rice, toilet paper, instant noodles, and household appliances.

However, the family had not applied for basic livelihood security benefits and therefore did not receive regular support.

A county official noted that during a home visit, they had observed poor hygiene conditions in the apartment and encouraged the father to apply for welfare assistance.

The father had declined the offer, saying it was unnecessary.

"If we had been more persuasive and provided greater support, this tragedy could have been avoided," said the official.

According to the police, the family is suspected to have died in the evening of Mar. 16.

Authorities plan to confirm the exact circumstances through autopsies and interviews with those who knew the family.

Helplines

If you or someone you know are in mental distress, here are some hotlines you can call to seek help, advice, or just a listening ear:

• National mindline.sg Hotline: 1771 (24 hours)
• National mindline.sg WhatsApp: 66691771 (24 hours)
• SOS 24-hour Hotline: 1-767
• Singapore Association for Mental Health: 1800-283-7019
• Centre for Domestic Employees: 1800 225 5233 (24 hours)
• Foreign Domestic Worker Association for Social Support and Training: 1800 339 4357 (24 hours)
• HOME (migrant worker): +65 6341 5535 (WhatsApp / Viber / SMS)
• HOME (domestic worker): +65 9787 3122 (WhatsApp / SMS / Call)
• SHECARES@SCWO: Call: 8001 01 4616 | WhatsApp: 8985 5528 (For targets of online harms)
• National Anti-Violence and Sexual Harassment Helpline (NAVH): 1800-777-0000

Top photo from Chosun Biz