Five people were found inside a rented lodging in Gapyeong, Gyeonggi Province, Tuesday, with two dead and one seriously injured among them.

When officers from the Gapyeong Police Station arrived at the two-story accommodations around 1:40 a.m., a woman in her 20s and a man in his 30s were found dead inside a room on the first floor. Notes of apology addressed to their families, believed to be written by the two deceased, were found in the room.

The police believe the two died of gas intoxication and have submitted autopsy requests to the National Forensic Service.

One man in his 20s was also found in the room, alive, but with signs of self-injury on his neck. The man is being treated in hospital and is in a critical state, the police said.

Two other men, both in their 20s, were found unharmed on the second floor. The men stated they had tried to take their lives but had given up, a police official said. The men told the police the five were unrelated and had gathered to end their lives.

The authorities are considering whether to charge the men with aiding and abetting suicide.

Around midnight, a friend of one of the five people reported to the police that he had received a message from his friend suggesting suicide. The police tracked down the person’s location and found the lodgings.

Investigations showed that the five had made contact three to four days prior through social media and bought a tank of poisonous gas in Suwon, Gyeonggi Province. The authorities are investigating further.



By Choi Ji-won (jwc@heraldcorp.com)