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Family of 'Bundang stabbing rampage' victim files lawsuit against killer

Published: 22 May. 2025, 16:35

Choi Won-jong, speaks to reporters at a police station in Seongnam in on Aug. 10, 2023, as he is transferred to the prosecution. [YONHAP]

The family of the late Kim Hye-bin filed a damages lawsuit against Choi Won-jong, the "Bundang stabbing rampage" assailant who killed two people and injured 12 others, as well as his parents.

Lawyer Oh Ji-won, head lawyer at the Law and Healing Attorneys & Associates, said on Thursday that a lawsuit had been filed with the Seongnam branch of the Suwon District Court against Choi and his parents. The amount of compensation sought reportedly totals several hundred million won.

“Choi Won-jong was sentenced to life imprisonment by the Supreme Court last November for intentional murder, and as the perpetrator of an unlawful act, he bears liability for damages under Article 750 of the Civil Act,” Oh said. “His parents also bear civil liability under Article 39 of the Mental Health and Welfare Act because they failed to take appropriate action despite warning signs, such as Choi’s paranoid delusions, purchase and possession of a weapon and access to a vehicle.”

“The plaintiffs were a close-knit family of three,” Oh said. “The late Kim Hye-bin was cheerful, outgoing and the best daughter, always making her parents smile. Because criminal proceedings are a process where the state holds the perpetrator accountable, the plaintiffs couldn’t even properly review the court records.

"They wanted to take legal action from the perspective of their daughter, the most aggrieved party.”

Police officers stationed a Seohyeon Subway Station in Bundang, Gyeonggi, on Aug. 4, 2023, the day after 22 year-old Choi Won-jong tried to attack random people with a knife. [YONHAP]

On Aug. 3, 2023, Choi drove his mother’s car onto the sidewalk near Seohyeon Station in Seongnam, striking five pedestrians, then entered a department store and attacked nine people with a knife.

Kim Hye-bin and Lee Hee-nam, who was 65 at the time, died in the hospital after being hit by the car. The remaining 12 victims suffered injuries.

Throughout the investigation and trial, Choi claimed he was in a state of mental incapacity and unable to distinguish right from wrong or make decisions.

Choi Won-jong, the suspect in the stabbing rampage in Bundang, Gyeonggi, last week, speaks to reporters in front of Seongnam Sujeong Police Station in Gyeonggi, as police handed his case to prosecution Aug. 10, 2023. [YONHAP]

Prosecutors, however, pointed out that Choi had searched online for “mental illness sentence reduction” before the crime and later asked a prosecutor about the possibility of parole, arguing that he showed “no sign of sincere remorse” as they sought the death penalty.

Both the district and appellate courts acknowledged his claim of diminished mental capacity but did not reduce his sentence, ultimately sentencing him to life imprisonment. The Supreme Court upheld the ruling.

“Our family is not trying to impose guilt by association on Choi Won-jong’s parents,” Kim’s parents said in a written statement to the press on Thursday. “Rather, we seek accountability as guardians, who have a moral and ethical responsibility as well as a duty of care explicitly outlined by law.”

“If Choi’s father had forced him into psychiatric treatment when he talked about a stalking crime organization,” they wrote. “if his mother had paid more attention after discovering he hid a knife in a drawer, and if they hadn’t left the car keys accessible, allowing Choi, who had a driver’s license, to use her vehicle, then the Seohyeon Station stabbing might never have happened.”

Translated from the JoongAng Ilbo using generative AI and edited by Korea JoongAng Daily staff.
BY LEE HAY-JUNE [[email protected]]