Police investigate two men suspected of firing arrow at pedestrian

CCTV footage shows a suspect in his 20s firing an arrow from a vehicle parked near the Youth Plaza in Sangdang-gu, Cheongju, toward a woman walking her dog nearby, on Wednesday. (KBS)

Two men in their 20s have been booked without detention after an arrow was fired near a pedestrian in a plaza in Cheongju, North Chungcheong Province, police said Friday.

According to local police, the incident occurred at around 11:40 p.m. on Wednesday, when a woman in her 50s was walking her dog near Youth Plaza in Sangdang-gu. The arrow struck a flower bed, landing about 1.5 meters from the dog and approximately 2.5 meters from the woman, who immediately called the police. Authorities later confirmed the arrow was fitted with a metal arrowhead.

“I heard a strange sound and saw an arrow stuck beside me," said the woman, as quoted by local media.

Surveillance footage showed two men parking their vehicle about 70 meters from the plaza and taking an approximately 80-centimeter arrow from the trunk. One of the men then fired the arrow toward the pedestrian walkway.

An arrow is seen lodged in a flower bed just meters from where a woman had been walking her dog. (Yonhap)

Police have identified the suspects and have summoned them for questioning.

Investigators believe the suspects were drinking at a nearby restaurant before the incident. They are examining their exact motive, how they obtained the bow and arrow and whether they were targeting a specific individual.

The plaza where the incident occurred is home to one of the Statues of Peace. The statues of a seated girl honor victims of Japan’s wartime sexual slavery and have previously been targeted by far-right extremists. At the time the arrow was fired, the woman said she was standing just 2-3 meters from the statue.