Woo Bum-kon incident

A mass shooting and arson attack carried out by South Korean police officer Woo Bum-kon in April 1982, killing 56 people and wounding 35 before he died by suicide.

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Uiryeong County: A county in South Gyeongsang Province, South Korea, where the incident occurred. The attacks unfolded across villages in this rural county.
Mass shooting: An incident in which a person uses a firearm to shoot multiple people in a short period. Gunfire was the primary means of killing during the attacks.
South Korean police reform: Changes to the organization, oversight, or practices of South Korea’s police forces. The incident prompted dismissals and intensified demands for accountability in policing.
Motive (criminal law): A person’s reason for committing an alleged or proven crime. Accounts have linked the attacks to personal grievances, but no settled explanation captures every act.
Woo Bum-kon: A South Korean police officer who killed 56 people and wounded 35 in April 1982. His movements and actions connected the attacks across several villages.
Arson: The deliberate setting of fire to property. Woo used explosives and fires in attacks on homes and village sites.
Police accountability: The obligation of police institutions and officers to explain and answer for their conduct. The perpetrator’s police status made institutional responsibility a central issue.
Workplace violence: Violence occurring in or connected to a person’s workplace or employment. Disputes and dissatisfaction with police work figure in explanations of Woo’s actions.
South Gyeongsang Province: A province in southeastern South Korea, with Changwon as its capital. Uiryeong County, the site of the attacks, lies within this province.
Grenade: An explosive weapon designed to detonate after being thrown or launched. Explosives contributed to the attacks and to the deaths of victims.