2025 Korea Report: Source of Wealth Shifting from Real Estate to Stocks! Man Accused of Investing and Racking Up 200 Million Debt, Kills His Son and Commits Suicide

A South Korean man in his 40s, suspected of losing heavily in stock investments and owing 200 million won, murdered his 9-year-old son and then jumped from a 20th-floor apartment to commit suicide. However, the 2025 Korea Rich List report points out that the sources of wealth for Korean high-net-worth individuals have shifted from mainly real estate investment and inheritance to income from business, labor, and financial investments. On one hand, stocks have become a societal consensus for investment; on the other hand, the high uncertainty in financial markets and the societal pressure to succeed in investments have intensified personal psychological burdens.

South Korean man in his 40s suspected of owing 200 million won from investment losses, murders son, then jumps from building

According to the Korea JoongAng Daily, in Yongin City, Gyeonggi Province, a man in his 40s and his 9-year-old son were found dead in an apartment. The Dongbu Police Station in Yongin stated on the 12th that in the victim’s home, they found a handwritten note believed to be written by the deceased, which read: “This is a suicide chosen due to failure.”

Around 5:55 PM on the 11th, the man fell from a 20th-floor apartment located in Giheung District, Yongin City, and died. The police also found that his 9-year-old son, who was in the back seat of the car parked inside the apartment, showed no signs of life. The initial judgment suggests the cause of death for the boy was “suffocation due to neck compression,” and it is believed that the man strangled his son and then jumped from the building to commit suicide. The police have also obtained testimony from the victim’s family, indicating that the man had previously told family members, “I lost 200 million won in stock investments.”

Therefore, the police are investigating the possibility that the man committed filicide and then took his own life due to despair about life.

2025 Korea Rich List: Wealth shifted from real estate to stocks, cryptocurrencies, and gold

Recently, KB Financial Group released the “2025 Korea Rich List,” defining billionaires as those holding over 1 billion won in both financial and real estate assets. The report states that the number of Korean high-net-worth individuals increased from 130,000 in 2011 to 476,000 in 2025, with an average annual growth of 9.7% over 15 years. Their total financial assets also surpassed 3,000 trillion won for the first time.

However, the asset structure of the wealthy is undergoing a clear transformation. The proportion of real estate continues to decline, while financial assets, cryptocurrencies, gold, and other asset allocations are gradually rising; the sources of wealth have shifted from mainly real estate investment and inheritance to income from business, labor, and financial investments. Despite facing highly uncertain market environments, most wealthy individuals tend to maintain their current investment strategies. Nevertheless, in short- and medium-to-long-term high-yield investment options, stocks are still widely regarded as the most potential assets.

South Korean society is simultaneously under high financial pressure and undergoing structural transformation. On one side, high-net-worth groups are gradually reducing reliance on real estate and turning to high-volatility assets like stocks and cryptocurrencies to pursue returns and liquidity; on the other side, the high uncertainty in financial markets and societal expectations of successful investing have increased individual psychological burdens.

When investment ceases to be just asset allocation but becomes a means for upward mobility, proving oneself, or even maintaining family stability, market fluctuations can turn into heavy social pressure. This highlights that, in South Korea’s highly competitive and performance-oriented environment, the popularization of financial literacy, risk awareness, and a more tolerant social attitude towards investment failures are no longer just wealth management topics but crucial issues related to social safety and mental health.

This article “2025 Korea Rich List: Wealth Sources Shift from Real Estate to Stocks! Man Owes 200 Million Won from Investment Losses, Kills Son, and Commits Suicide” first appeared on Chain News ABMedia.