Yonhap is reporting that 76-year-old Kim In-gon, former National Assemblyman and president of Gwangju University (my former place of employment), leaped to his death from his office on the 21st floor of the university’s Hoshim Hall (tallest academic building in Korea, in case you were curious). The report says Kim came to the office at 11:00 a.m. (two hours later than usual), drank some tea given to him by his secretary, and jumped out the window thirty minutes later. Police are searching his office looking for a suicide note, but nothing has been turned up so far.
In case you’re reading this from Gwangju University, I’d appreciate some on the spot news in my comments section.
UPDATE: Yonhap (via the Chosun Ilbo) is speculating that the man was simply experiencing old-age depression as his close friends started to die off. The school had been experiencing declining enrollment, but they don’t think that had anything to do with Kim’s suicide. Still, I wonder how lonely the guy could have been — his wife and kids were still around.
Real shame.
2 Comments
I was teaching on the 11th floor at 11:30 this morning. This is the first I’ve heard of this. I went home just after 12 and there were no sirens, no crowds on the ground floor, nothing. Very very strange. A friend of mine directed me to this and I assumed it was a sick April Fools joke. Sad story.
The mood is pretty somber. The professors that I have seen around and about are taken back, as is the whole school. I learnt the news by a student coming to my office, and she had a look of disbelief about her. Saw a police van out side the building, but I didn’t investigate. I only saw him a few times, never met him. He had a very stately demeanor, as most Korean men do with his background. I taught the man’s grandson in one of our foreign language center classes. It is a real shame, I hope he has his peace.