South Korean man arrested for suspected murder of wife and son at luxury Hong Kong hotel

HONG KONG - A South Korean man has been arrested for the suspected murder of his wife and child on Sunday (Jan 14) at the luxury Ritz-Carlton hotel on Hong Kong's harbourfront, officials said.

Police rushed to the hotel after receiving a report on Sunday morning that a man and a woman were fighting.

A woman and a young boy were found dead at the scene while the man was arrested on suspicion of murder and taken to hospital, police said.

The man was found sitting in the room in a semi-conscious state, the South China Morning Post reported on Sunday. Officers also found a 13cm-long knife at the scene.

"His wife and son were found dead in the bedroom with slash wounds on their necks," a police source said.

Police did not confirm the relationship between the three but told AFP they were all foreign nationals.

A spokesman for the South Korean consulate in Hong Kong confirmed the three were nationals and from the same family.

According to local news site Apple Daily, the couple, in their 40s, and their seven-year-old son checked into the five-star hotel a few days before.

A source with knowledge of the investigation told AFP that a friend of the suspect had warned the authorities in South Korea he was potentially suicidal shortly before the incident.

The Ritz-Carlton is located on the top floors of Hong Kong's tallest skyscraper - the International Commerce Centre - and is famous for panoramic views of the city and its Victoria Harbour.

"Our thoughts are with the family of the guests involved at this very difficult time," a hotel spokesman in Hong Kong told AFP, declining to comment further as an investigation was ongoing.

In a separate incident, Hong Kong police are investigating the murder-suicide of a couple found dead at a public housing estate near the border with mainland China, local media reported.

Police found a 66-year-old man, surnamed Chan, on the podium of Lung Yat Estate in Tuen Mun. They later found Chan's wife, 63, in their flat, with knife wounds on her neck, the Post reported. A 20cm-long knife was found next to the woman in the 300 sq ft flat.

Chief inspector from Tuen Mun District, Yip Chun Man, was cited by the Post as saying: "According to our initial investigation... We believe the man had jumped from his open window in the flat." He added that both Chan and his wife had previous records of mental illness.