"Sung-Tae Cho, the Killer's father... He was a "Country Bumpkin", and Considerably Older than Cho's Mother"

Sung-Tae Cho, the killer's father, came from a poor rural area. He was a "country bumpkin" and considerably older than Cho's mother, Hyang-Im Kim, the daughter of a refugee, said Cho's great-aunt, Kim Yan-Soon. "We practically forced her to get married

Father's age:


South Korea's largest newspaper Chosun Ilbo reported that Cho's family was poor when they lived in a Seoul suburb and decided to emigrate to seek a better life.

The family lived in a rented, basement apartment - usually the cheapest unit in a multi-apartment building, the newspaper reported quoting building owner Lim Bong-ae, 67. Police identified the shooter's father as Cho Seong-tae, 61.

"I didn't know what (Cho's father) did for a living. But they lived a poor life," Lim told the newspaper. "While emigrating, (Cho's father) said they were going to America because it is difficult to live here and that it's better to live in a place where he is unknown."

Meanwhile, South Korean President Roh Moo-hyun held a special meeting with aides today to discuss the shooting, as the public expressed shame over a South Korean citizen being identified as the gunman.

Rwas to speak publicly about the tragedy later in the day, his office said, without elaborating on what the president discussed at the meeting with aides.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Sung Cho, 61, and Hyang Cho, 56, kept a low profile in the small town, attending services at the Korean Presbyterian Church and planting lettuce in the backyard of their home.








Journal of Epidemiology amd Community Health 2006;60:851-853

"Average paternal age in the UK is increasing. The public health implications of this trend have not been widely anticipated or debated. .....Accumulated chromosomal aberrations and mutations occurring during the maturation of the male germ cells are thought to be responsible for the increased risk of certain conditions with older fathers. Growing evidence shows that the offspring of older fathers have reduced fertility and an increased risk of birth defects, some cancers and schizophrenia." ......