Brutal rape shakes Sillim

The hill in Sillim-dong, Gwanak-gu, Seoul, where the attack happened Thursday. (Yonhap)

A man in his 30s has been arrested on charges of raping and seriously injuring a woman in Seoul's Sillim-dong, which was also the site of a recent indiscriminate knife attack.

The man is suspected of attacking a woman in her 30s with brass knuckles, and sexually assaulting her in a park near Gwanaksan at around 11:40 a.m. Thursday. Hikers who heard the victim’s screams called the police at around 11:44 a.m. and the police apprehended him in the act at around 12:10 p.m.

The suspect and the victim are not believed to have known each other. The woman was taken to a hospital but remains unconscious and in critical condition.

The suspect initially claimed that the victim tripped on a branch but later confessed to the crimes.

The attack occurred on a hillside, away from the walking path, which was not frequented by people and police said the suspect told them he chose the site because there are no surveillance cameras in the area.

Police said that the suspect had left his residence in Doksan-dong, southwestern Seoul, at around 9:55 a.m. about 2 hours before the crime, and walked to the crime scene in Sillim. The police suspect that the man may prepared for the crime beforehand, including target searching, as he arrived at the park entrance at around 11:01 a.m. based on the CCTV footage.

Police said they did not believe the suspect had not consumed alcohol or drugs. While he had faced a suspended indictment for desertion from military service, they had found no connection between him and previous offenses.

The police intend to secure the suspect’s medical records and mobile phone to investigate the specific motives and circumstance of crime.

By Park Ye-eun(park.yeeun@heraldcorp.com)