‘He ... made the world weep,’ Cho’s family says

‘Didn’t talk much when he was young’
On Thursday, an uncle of Cho’s, said the gunman was a worry to his family because he did not speak much as a child.

He was so quiet, his uncle said, that there were even concerns that he might be mute.

But there were no early indications that Cho, who immigrated with his family at age 8 to the United States, had serious problems, said the uncle, who asked to be identified only by his surname, Kim.

Cho “didn’t talk much when he was young. He was very quiet, but he didn’t display any peculiarities to suggest he may have problems,” Kim told the AP in a telephone interview. “We were concerned about him being too quiet and encouraged him to talk more.”

The Chos left South Korea in 1992 to seek a better life in the United States, Kim said. The family never visited their homeland, and Kim said he did not recognize his nephew when his picture appeared on television.

“I am devastated,” Kim said between heavy sighs. “I don’t know what I can tell the victims’ families and the U.S. citizens. I sincerely apologize ... as a family member.”

In South Korea, Cho’s parents ran a small bookstore in Seoul, Kim said. The family lived in a two-room apartment no larger than 430 square feet.

“They had trouble making ends meet in Korea. The bookstore they had didn’t turn much profit,” Kim said.

Grandfather: Cho quiet, but ‘well-behaved’
Kim said his sister — Cho’s mother — occasionally called around holidays but never mentioned having any problems with her son.

“She said the children were studying well. She didn’t seem worried about her children at all,” Kim said. “She just talked about how hard she had to work to make a living, to support the children.”

He said he has been unable to reach Cho’s mother since Monday’s massacre.

Cho’s maternal grandfather also told South Korean newspapers that relatives were concerned about Cho’s not talking much as a child.

Cho “troubled his parents a lot when he was young because he couldn’t speak well, but was well-behaved,” the grandfather, who also was identified by only the surname Kim, told the daily newspaper Dong-a Ilbo.

In Seoul, more than 1,000 people sang hymns and prayed for Cho’s victims at a special service at Myeongdong Cathedral, some fighting back tears. White flowers, candles and a U.S. flag adorned a small table in the center of the chapel.

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