Police are investigating the real motive behind the killing of a tech mogul’s father-in-law, suspecting the crime may have been premeditated. 

A suspect, surnamed Heo, was arrested Thursday hours after he admittedly killed NCsoft founder and CEO Kim Taek-jin’s father-in-law near the victim’s home in Yangpyeong, Gyeonggi Province.

The suspect attested to the killing, but said it was accidental following a dispute with the victim, known only by his surname Yoon, over parking.

However, police investigators have found suspicious circumstances that may indicate planning.

Heo was spotted on CCTV entering the victim’s property a day before the murder. Police also found that the suspect was experiencing financial difficulty, with over 80 million won ($71,000) in high-interest debt.

Local media reported the suspect had purchased in-game items from NCsoft’s hit title “Lineage” that were worth millions of won each.

The deceased is the father-in-law of Kim, global CEO of South Korea-based NCsoft, one of the biggest online game companies in the world. Yoon’s daughter, Yoon Song-yee, married Kim in 2007, and is now chief strategy officer of the company. 

By Bak Se-hwan (sh@heraldcorp.com)