Two unrelated shootings in South Korea in February 2015 prompted the country to immediately adopt GPS monitoring of firearms.
Key Facts
- Number of incidents
- 2 separate shootings
- Dates
- 25 and 27 February 2015
- Locations
- Sejong and Hwaseong, South Korea
- Gunmen's fate
- Both gunmen committed suicide after shootings
- Policy response
- Immediate adoption of GPS monitoring of firearms
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
South Korea has an exceptionally low rate of gun violence, making any shooting incident unusual. In late February 2015, two separate individuals carried out shooting sprees in different cities within days of each other, events with no apparent connection between them.
On 25 February 2015, a shooting occurred in Sejong, followed by a second shooting in Hwaseong on 27 February 2015. Both incidents were unrelated spree shootings, and in each case the gunman took his own life after the attack. The events drew wide international media attention given their rarity in South Korea.
The two shootings prompted South Korea to swiftly implement GPS monitoring of firearms as a gun control measure. The events and the government's rapid policy response received extensive international news coverage, reflecting the rarity of such incidents in the country.