A tranquil evening at the Su Jung Health Sauna in Norcross, Georgia, turned into a scene of unimaginable horror in February 2012, when a family dispute culminated in a shocking act of violence. Among the victims was 57-year-old Kum Sook Kim, a Korean-American woman and co-owner of the spa. The gunman was identified as her 59-year-old brother, Jeong Soo Paek.
On the night of February 21, Paek entered the family-owned business on Buford Highway, where approximately 20 people were present. Surveillance footage showed him speaking with one of the victims before he produced a handgun and opened fire. The Norcross Police Department later confirmed that the incident was a murder-suicide. The motive is believed to have stemmed from a family or financial dispute.
The rampage claimed the lives of five people in total. In addition to Kum Sook Kim, Paek killed his other sister, 61-year-old Kum Hi Song, and their husbands, 55-year-old Tae Yol Kim and 64-year-old Byong Ok Kang. After killing his four family members, Jeong Soo Paek then turned the gun on himself.
The aftermath of the shooting sent shockwaves through the local Korean-American community, where the family was well-respected. Friends and community members expressed their grief and disbelief at the tragic loss of an entire family. Funerals for the victims were held separately over the following weekend. As the incident was a murder-suicide and the perpetrator died at the scene, there were no arrests or subsequent trial.
