Home > National > Social Affairs

'We were just curious': Police book pair suspected of firing arrow near woman walking dog, believe alcohol was a factor

Published: 15 Jan. 2026, 14:33 Updated: 15 Jan. 2026, 17:43

Two men shoot arrows near a woman who was walking her dog at the Youth Plaza in Sangdang District, Cheongju, North Chungcheong, at around 11:40 p.m. on Jan. 7. [SCREEN CAPTURE]

Two men in Cheongju, North Chungcheong, were booked without detention for allegedly firing an arrow that narrowly missed a woman walking her dog earlier this month, which they claimed was an act of “simple curiosity.”

The pair, who are said to be friends, was booked without detention on charges of aggravated assault, the Cheongju Cheongwon Police Precinct said Thursday.

A woman was walking her dog in Cheongju on Jan. 7 at around 11:40 p.m. when she suddenly found an arrow lodged in the flower bed beside her. One of the suspects reportedly told police that he did not shoot the arrow to harm anyone deliberately.

Closed-circuit television footage from the area shows a man taking a bow from the trunk of a car parked along a roadside about 70 meters (230 feet) away and drawing the string. The arrow was about 80 centimeters (31 inches) long with a metal tip. It struck a flower bed in the plaza, about 1.5 meters from the dog and about 2.5 meters from the woman.

Police launched an investigation after the woman reported she believed someone had fired an arrow, had heard a strange sound and had noticed an arrow stuck nearby. Police believe the pair had been drinking at a nearby restaurant before the incident.

This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
BY KIM JI-HYE [[email protected]]