Choi Chung-rak, 59, has been transferred to the Incheon District Prosecutor's Office after being charged with attacking 10 citizens with a knife while wearing an electronic monitoring device.
On October 23, the Incheon Namdong Police Station transferred Choi to the prosecutor's office on charges of attempted murder and possession of a weapon in a public place.
Dressed in gray athletic wear, Choi emerged from the police station without a mask or hat to conceal his face. When asked by reporters if he had anything to say to the victims, he expressed regret, referring to them as 'innocent victims.' When pressed on who he meant, he replied, 'Everyone who was there.'
Choi did not respond to questions about why he chose a crowded location for the attack, how long he had planned it, or whether he considered targeting children, as he got into a police vehicle.
He is accused of attempting to kill 10 people by attacking them with a knife at the C&C building in Guwol-dong, Namdong-gu, Incheon, from 1:48 PM for about five minutes on October 13. Reports indicate he roamed the building, which houses a large supermarket and a movie theater, with knives taped to both hands, attacking citizens.
Choi was subdued by citizens who threw chairs at him and was subsequently arrested at the scene by police.
Of the 10 victims, 8 were injured. Among them, a 19-year-old woman was transported to the hospital in cardiac arrest and underwent emergency surgery but has not regained consciousness. The other 7 injured individuals are in stable condition, while 2 others were unharmed.
During police questioning, Choi expressed dissatisfaction with a hospital where he received treatment for a skin condition, claiming that he was investigated by police due to a report from the hospital. He stated, 'I wanted to make my grievances known to society and create a newsworthy event,' asserting that he targeted individuals he perceived as weaker than himself.
Choi has a criminal history that includes two previous attempted murder charges and a total of 10 offenses resulting in fines or more severe penalties. At the time of the attack, he was wearing an electronic monitoring device.
Police conducted searches of Choi's home and the Incheon Western Probation Office, where he was supervised, to secure location tracking data from the electronic monitoring device and probation records. Results from a psychopathy diagnostic test (PCL-R) indicated he did not meet the domestic classification criteria.
Earlier, on October 16, the Incheon Police Agency held a meeting of the Personal Information Disclosure Review Committee and decided to publicly disclose Choi's name, age, and face.
* This article has been translated by AI.
Copyright ⓒ Aju Press All rights reserved.