Police release ID of man behind Bundang knife attack

Social Affairs

Published: 07 Aug. 2023, 18:29

Police release ID of man behind Bundang knife attack

Police on Monday reveal a driver’s license photo, left, of Choi Won-jong, the suspect of a stabbing attack near Seohyun Station in Bundang, Gyeonggi, and a photo from his arrest. [Gyeonggi Nambu Provincial Police Agency]

Police on Monday revealed the identity of the man behind last Thursday's stabbing attack in Bundang, Gyeonggi, as 22-year-old Choi Won-jong.

Gyeonggi Nambu Provincial Police Agency, after convening a review committee earlier Monday afternoon, decided to disclose Choi's name, age and photo recognizing the "brutality of the crime and the seriousness of the damages."

On Thursday evening, Choi drove a car onto a sidewalk near a shopping mall in Bundang near Seohyeon Station and rammed pedestrians before stabbing people inside the department store. Five people were hit by the car, and nine were stabbed on the first and second floors of the mall.

One of the 14 victims, a woman in her 60s taking a walk with her husband near the shopping mall when she was hit by the car, was declared dead on Sunday.

Police are investigating Choi, who was arrested on Saturday on charges of murder and attempted murder.

On Monday, police released both a photo from Choi's driver's license and one showing his face taken at the time of his arrest.

Police said that Choi refused to comply with a mug shot.

This came in response to past criticism of big discrepancies between ID photos and the actual person when police released criminal suspects' identities.

The police review committee said it decided to disclose Choi's personal information because he had attacked multiple victims by crashing a vehicle into the sidewalk and wielding a weapon in a busy public place, killing one person.

It also said its conclusion was based on Choi's confession and "sufficient evidence of the crime," such as CCTV footage and eyewitness statements.

"Considering the public unrest due to the crime and with the intention of preventing similar crimes, we decided to disclose the identity of the suspect as it would greatly benefit the public interest," the committee said.

Police officials said that Choi has been unclear about the motive for the crime.

Choi reportedly told police he believed many members of a "stalking group" were at Seohyeon Station, and that he hoped his crime would alert the world to its presence.

Police said that Choi was diagnosed with schizoid personality disorder at two hospitals between 2015 and 2020 and took prescribed medications. However, there are no records of him receiving treatment in the past three years.

Choi moved out of his parents' home after entering college three years ago. He worked as a part-time deliveryman but is reported to have moved back into his parents' home earlier this month, saying he was afraid of the "stalking group."

Police said Choi appears to suffer from persecutory delusions, claiming he believes that a certain group of people is stalking him. He reportedly dropped out of high school due to social phobia.

Police said they are working with four profilers to conduct a psychopathy checklist, or PCL-R test, on Choi.

The crime appears to have been planned in advance, as Choi purchased two knives at a nearby store on Aug. 2, the day before the crime and cased out Seohyeon Station.

As a result of forensics of his mobile phone, police found that Choi had searched for keywords such as "Sillim-dong murder," "sashimi knife," "gas gun" and "is it illegal to carry a knife" a month before committing the attack.

Last month, police revealed the identity of 33-year-old Jo Seon, who went on a stabbing rampage near Sillim Station in Gwanak District, southern Seoul, on July 21, killing one and injuring three.

Similarly, Jo's resident registration card photo and a screen capture of his face from CCTV footage of the crime scene were released by the police.

Under the Act on Special Cases Concerning the Punishment of Specific Violent Crimes, the prosecution or police may disclose the personal information of criminal suspects if the crime was committed in a "cruel way," and if sufficient evidence exists to prove that the suspect committed the crime, if the disclosure guarantees the people's right to know, and if the suspect isn't a juvenile.

On Sunday, the National Police Agency announced that 54 people were apprehended nationwide for posting online murder threats after the two recent stabbings.

Following the Sillim-dong attack, threats warning of similar crimes were posted on internet forums and social media sites, much to public alarm.

In turn, police dispatched some 12,000 officers to 247 places nationwide, including subway stations and department stores, to strengthen public security.

On Monday, police also searched Jeju International Airport after an online post the previous night threatened to bomb the airport.

The poster said a bomb had been planted at the airport that would go off on Monday afternoon. He also threatened to stab people at the airport.

Similar bomb threats were made against other airports such as Gimhae International Airport in Busan and Daegu International Airport.

The Incheon International Airport Corporation and Korea Airports Corporation said Monday that terrorism threats have been made at five airports in recent days, including at Incheon, Gimpo, Gimhae, Jeju and Daegu.

Police found no abnormalities at these airports and confirmed that the threats were bogus.

Police and the airport corporations said they are taking stricter measures against suspected terrorism and strengthening monitoring of the airports.

BY SARAH KIM [kim.sarah@joongang.co.kr]