Fatal shooting of son with homemade gun puts spotlight on unauthorized weapons
South Korean police recorded a sharp rise in illegal weapons possession last year, with detections nearly doubling from a year earlier, according to National Police Agency data released Sunday.
Police identified 269 cases of illegal weapons possession in 2025, the highest figure since 2021 and up 97.8 percent from 2024, according to data provided to Rep. Kim Yea-ji of the main opposition People Power Party.
The total included 111 cases involving swords, more than three times the previous year's level, and 79 involving firearms. Police also detected 54 cases involving imitation firearms. Under Korean law, imitation firearms include replica or modified weapons that closely resemble real guns and can discharge projectiles capable of causing harm.
The increase has drawn particular attention following a series of cases involving homemade or unauthorized firearms.
In July 2025, a 62-year-old man shot and killed his 33-year-old son with a homemade gun at an apartment in Incheon, an incident that shocked the country and prompted tighter scrutiny of illegal firearms.
A joint government task force was launched in September 2025 to curb the manufacture and distribution of homemade guns. The government said in January that the task force had seized 338 imitation firearms, three illegal guns and 272 gun scopes.
Other cases have followed.
In April, police booked a man in his 70s for threatening Nepali workers at his workplace with a homemade gun. A later forensic examination found that the weapon was capable of firing shotgun ammunition.
South Korea restricts civilian firearms ownership. Possession for self-defense is generally prohibited, while guns used for purposes such as hunting or sport shooting require government approval and are subject to strict storage rules, including police custody in many cases.
Authorities also run periodic voluntary surrender programs for illegally held weapons. During designated reporting periods, people who turn in unauthorized firearms or other weapons may be exempted from criminal or administrative penalties depending on the circumstances.
A total of 188,513 pieces of illegal weaponry were voluntarily reported last year, including 68,900 rounds of live ammunition and 524 firearms, according to the data submitted to Kim. The figure was the highest in five years.
Kim called for stronger efforts to trace how illegal weapons enter and circulate in the country.
"The government needs to establish a system to identify how illegal weapons are distributed and block potential risk factors before they lead to crimes," Kim said.
minsikyoon@heraldcorp.com
