Seoul, Feb 25 (IANS/EFE): Three people were killed Wednesday by a man with a rifle in a shop in South Korea in what authorities said may have been a crime of passion.

The 50-year-old suspect, identified by his surname Kang, apparently committed suicide and was found dead hours after the killings, the police told Korean news broadcaster CBS.

Kang repeatedly fired a rifle at the father, brother and the current partner of his former girlfriend in Sejong, 120 km south of Seoul, in western Korea.

The elder brother of Kang's ex-girlfriend, also 50 years old and with the surname of Kim, was the owner of the convenience store where the shooting occurred.

Kim was with his 74-year-old father and his sister's current boyfriend, aged 52.

After shooting the three men, the suspect set fire to the store and fled.

Police later found Kang's body beside a river with a bullet wound to his head.

The suspect had a gun licence and a legally-owned rifle although, according to local laws, it is illegal to keep arms at home and instead these should remain in police custody.

Kang used some pretext to pick up the rifle from the police station two hours before the shooting, CBS reported.

Shootings are rare in South Korea where the possession of firearms is strictly controlled and where there is very little hunting due to over-population.