"Carried Weapon to Make Holes in Sign," No Action Taken

[Anchor]

Choi, the suspect in a random stabbing spree, was investigated by police for carrying a weapon in a public place just a week before the crime. However, the police did not even conduct a "risk assessment" to check for the possibility of it leading to an motiveless crime.

Reporter Kim Minjun has the details.

[Reporter]

The suspect in his 50s, surnamed Choi, told police that he received treatment for athlete's foot at a hospital in Incheon, but when it did not improve, he demanded a settlement fee, which was rejected.

Harboring grievances, he began a one-man protest on August 19. The hospital reported him to the police a total of six times: four times for spreading false information and obstructing business, and twice on September 9 for reporting that he was "carrying a weapon."

A weapon was actually found, and he was booked and investigated by police on charges of "carrying a weapon in a public place." That investigation took place just a week before his stabbing rampage.

The crime of "carrying a weapon in a public place" was introduced in April of last year to prevent "motiveless crimes," where unidentified individuals are harmed for unknown reasons, similar to the stabbing incidents at Sillim Station and Seohyun Station in 2023.

It allows for the punishment of anyone who carries or displays a weapon in a public place without justifiable reason. Through a checklist evaluation prepared by the police, if it is determined that the situation could lead to a motiveless crime, measures such as arrest or emergency hospitalization are to be taken.

However, in Choi's case, even the checklist evaluation was not conducted. The police explained that at the time, Choi claimed he "used the weapon to make holes in his one-man protest sign," and no actions threatening nearby citizens were confirmed.

The electronic anklet worn to prevent the risk of reoffending, probation by the Ministry of Justice, and the newly introduced crime of carrying a weapon in a public place from last year all failed to prevent or stop Choi's brutal crime.

[Bae Sang-hoon / Professor of Police and Criminal Psychology at Woosuk University : Police investigative information and the Ministry of Justice's probation network are not compatible. If integrated, information such as electronic anklet data and criminal records could be combined to predict that the risk of committing a crime by carrying a weapon is high.]

Experts emphasized that to more clearly judge the purpose and risk of carrying a weapon, information sharing among relevant authorities must become smoother than it is now.

(Photo courtesy of Newsis | Video reporting: Kim Hangyul, Video editing: Kim Yunsung, Design: Seo Seunghyeon)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.