Suspected samurai sword killer believed victim was a spy: Police

A 37-year-old man who allegedly killed a neighbor with a long Japanese sword on Monday night confessed that he thought the victim was a spy stalking him, police said.

An object circled in red, assumed to be a long sword used to attack a 43-year-old victim, lies on the road where the offense took place in Eunpyeong District, northern Seoul. [SCREEN CAPTURE]

A 37-year-old man who allegedly killed a neighbor with a long Japanese sword on Monday night confessed that he thought the victim was a spy stalking him, police said.

The Seoul Seobu Police Precinct said Tuesday that they are questioning the offender on charges of murder for attacking the victim multiple times with a long sword with a 75-centimeter (29-inch) blade.

The victim, aged 43, was attacked in front of the main gate of an apartment complex in Eunpyeong District, northern Seoul, at around 11:30 p.m. on Monday while he was smoking.

According to a report from the JoongAng Ilbo on Tuesday, the victim’s shoulder and arms were initially stabbed by the sword. Although he reported the offense to police while running away, the attacker continued to use the weapon on him several more times.

He was pronounced dead while being transferred to hospital by paramedics.

The victim was the father of two sons — a third grader in elementary school and a four-year-old boy. He worked for a furniture company.

The offender fled to his residence immediately after the incident and was apprehended by police about an hour later.

The police found that the suspect and victim were not acquainted.

Police approved the suspect's ownership of the sword in January. The enforcement decree governing the control of firearms, swords and explosives stipulates that mentally ill people and those who are addicted to alcohol and drugs cannot receive permission to own such a long sword.

According to a report from Yonhap News Agency on Tuesday, the offender’s occasional eccentric behavior of screaming and cursing out loud prompted police to visit the residential complex several times in the past. The report from the JoongAng Ilbo said that the attacker recently resigned from his job at a large conglomerate company.

Police found that the offender was not under the influence of alcohol at the time of the offense.

On Wednesday, police requested an arrest warrant against the suspect to keep him detained and a search and seizure warrant to obtain his hair to run a hair follicle drug test because he refused to undergo a simple drug test. The investigators will also review the suspect’s mental health records and question his relatives.

On the same day. the National Forensic Service told police that an autopsy revealed the cause of the victim's death was multiple stab wounds and slash cuts all over his body, which were induced by the weapon. Updated, July 31: added ongoing investigation details from police.

BY LEE SOO-JUNG, LEE CHAN-KYU [lee.soojung1@joongang.co.kr]