“An unidentified group hired a hit man to kill me,” says assailant who stabbed people at Seohyeon Station

On August 3, the police restrict access to the crime scene where an assailant crashed his vehicle into pedestrians and stabbed people at Seohyeon Station in Bundang-gu, Seongnam-si. Fourteen people were injured in the incident. Jo Tae-hyeong

On August 3, a man randomly stabbed people nearby Seohyeon Station in Bundang-gu, Seongnam-si, Gyeonggi-do, injuring fourteen people, twelve of which suffered serious injuries. The suspect, Choi (22), is a man in his early twenties and it appears he committed a “mudjima (don’t ask)” crime--random crime--aiming at a large number of unspecified people. The incident occurred just two weeks after a case of random violence at Sillim Station in Gwanak-gu, Seoul, and citizens worry they could be the next victim.

According to the police and fire department, around 5:55 p.m. Thursday, a 112 report came in from near the AK Plaza in Bundang-gu claiming that an unidentified man was stabbing people at the AK Plaza connected to Seohyeon Station. Before entering the AK Plaza, the man drove a compact car and crashed into pedestrians on the sidewalk. When the vehicle did not move, he walked into the department store and began stabbing people with a knife.

The police dispatched to the site after the report arrested the suspect Choi near the crime scene at 6:05 p.m. The police believe Choi committed the crime on his own.

It was confirmed that Choi worked in delivery. Reportedly, he refused to make any statements about the motive of the crime and insisted that an unidentified group hired a hit man to kill him. The police said, “The suspect is claiming he is delusional” and explained that a simple drug test came back negative. The police plan to collect hair samples and request a test by the National Forensic Service for more accurate results.

A total of fourteen people were injured in the latest incident. Five were hit by the car and nine were stabbed by the assailant. The victims were transported to the Bundang Jesaeng Hospital, the Cha University Bundang Medical Center, and the Seoul National University Hospital.

The latest crime is another “mudjima crime” or random violence following the incident at Sillim Station on July 21. A large number of people usually pass through the area around Seohyeon Station, which is also popularly known as a meeting place. The suspect crashed his car into a bus station at a time when workers began to get off work.

A closer look at the victims showed that the assailant randomly attacked people regardless of their age and gender. Of the five victims hit by the car, three were women and one was a man. The identity of the remaining victim was unknown for the person was not transported to a hospital. Two of the victims were in their twenties and two were in their sixties. A woman in her sixties was in cardiac arrest when she was transported to the hospital, but fortunately, she was able to regain consciousness.

Among the nine victims who were stabbed by Choi, four were men and five women. Five of the victims were in their twenties, while there was one victim in every age group from the forties to the fifties, sixties, and seventies. They were all stabbed in various parts of their bodies, such as the stomach, side, back, and elbow.

Some people claimed that this was the difference from the Sillim-dong case, where the target of the violence was men in their twenties and thirties.

Videos of the crime spreading through social media clearly show the tense situation at the time. The suspect in a black hoodie attacked the citizens wearing black sunglasses and a mask. With a knife in his hand, he followed a woman, but when she turned direction, he turned to stab another man.

As Choi violently attacked people regardless of age and gender, he instantly caused pandemonium at Seohyeon Station. Cha (28), who worked on the ninth floor of AK Plaza said, “I found out about the incident when some employees who had gotten off work at around 6:05 p.m. quickly ran back up.” She explained, “They said that he (the suspect) ran around the first floor stabbing people. Shocked at the sight, they fled.”

Mun (44), who was shopping on the first floor of the AK Plaza at the time, described, “The man had a silver knife about 30cm long in his hand,” and said, “He was skinny, but I saw him keep returning to and stabbing a man on the ground. He looked as if he was excited and enjoying himself, and even the other young people couldn’t approach him.”

Yu (69), who runs a store in the busy area in front of the AK Plaza’s first-floor entrance said, “There was a client with a six o’clock reservation, but he called and said he couldn’t come because someone was stabbed and blood was pouring out of his back. He told me to run away quickly too. I was wondering what was going on when about a hundred people ran out screaming from the department store.” He added, “This neighborhood is a quiet place, and I’ve never seen anything like this before.”

A (twenty-something), a relative of a victim who we met at Bundang Jesaeng Hospital, said, “His (victim) immediate family are far away, so I came here after receiving an urgent request.” He continued and said, “I have no idea what’s going on. Do we have to worry about getting stabbed with a knife now when walking along the streets?”

At 8 p.m. Thursday, Commissioner General Yoon Hee-keun presided over a video conference of the chiefs of metropolitan and provincial police agencies nationwide at the National Police Agency in Seodaemun-gu, Seoul and defined the latest incident as an act of terror. He said, “We will apply the maximum punishment possible for this crime.”

He also said, “The public’s fear of so-called ‘mudjima’ crimes and crimes with strange motives is extremely intense, and in this situation, a series of similar incidents have occurred,” and added, “As a person overseeing the police, responsible for public peace and order, I judge this to be a very serious and critical situation.”

On July 21, Jo Seon (33) swung a knife at passersby, who were complete strangers to him, killing one and seriously injuring three on a busy street in Sillim-dong, Seoul. After this incident, a series of posts popped up online claiming that someone would kill twenty people near Sillim-dong. The police are currently investigating the case.

The police are on guard after warnings about additional killings around Ori Station on the afternoon of August 4 appeared on social media shortly after the Seohyeon Station incident.