“I declare a special police action to combat heinous crimes until the people’s concerns are relieved,” Yoon Hee-keun, commissioner general of the National Police Agency (NPA), said, according to Yonhap news agency.
Police officers patrol around Seohyeon subway station in Seongnam, Seoul, South Korea on August 4, 2023. Photo: AP
South Korean police - who are allowed to carry guns but are generally very restricted in their use - will not "hesitate to use legal weapons such as firearms" against knife-wielding criminals, the police chief said.
The enhanced measures were announced after the second knife attack in just two days, which has caused great concern among the South Korean public.
A young man stabbed a teacher at a high school in Daejeon City today. According to police, the suspect is in his 20s and waited for the teacher to come out of the classroom before stabbing the victim. He then fled the scene and was arrested.
A day earlier, a man in his twenties drove a car into passersby and then got out and stabbed several people at a shopping mall in Seongnam, Seoul. As many as 14 people were injured, two of them in critical condition, in the incident.
Also in Seoul last month, a knife attack left one person dead and three others injured.
South Korean police are stepping up security after a series of unusual knife attacks in the country. Photo: AP
The suspect in Thursday's stabbing attack was a 22-year-old man surnamed Choi who had mental health problems, Yonhap reported. Investigators said he dropped out of high school due to social anxiety and was later diagnosed with schizoid personality disorder.
The man was incoherent during initial questioning and claimed that "a group of people were following him and trying to kill him".
South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol called the incident an act of terrorism against innocent citizens and ordered police to mobilize all available resources to allay public concerns.
Some copycat threats are circulating on social media. “I’ve told my family and friends to stay home,” said a 31-year-old Seoul resident. “I hope those who posted those threats are tracked down and severely punished.”
Also on Friday, South Korea's Justice Ministry said it is considering a proposal to introduce an "unpardonable life sentence" in criminal law as a response to such heinous crimes.
South Korea is generally a very safe country, with a homicide rate of 1.3 per 100,000 people in 2021, according to official statistics. By contrast, the global average is 6 homicide deaths per 100,000 people, according to the World Health Organization.
Hoang Anh (according to Yonhap, AP, CNA)
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