Identity Revealed for 59-Year-Old Choi Choong-rak; Silent When Asked About 6.8 Million Won

[Anchor]

The identity of a suspect arrested by police on charges of wielding a weapon and injuring citizens at a commercial complex in Incheon has been disclosed. He is 59-year-old Choi Choong-rak. When asked why he attacked innocent citizens, Choi gave no answer.

Reporter Kim Gyu-ri has the details.

[Reporter]

A man with his face covered by a hat and mask steps out of a police transport vehicle.

This is 59-year-old Choi Choong-rak, who went on a weapon rampage at a commercial complex in Guwol-dong, Incheon, on the 13th, as he arrived at the court for his pre-arrest interrogation.

[Choi Choong-rak : (Why did you commit the crime against strangers?) I am sorry. (Do you have anything to say to the victims?) I have committed a sin punishable by death.]

He offered this explanation regarding the 6.8 million won he was carrying at the time of the crime.

[Choi Choong-rak : (Were you trying to run away with 6.8 million won?) No. I wasn't thinking of running away, but because this kind of pressure came... (What kind of pressure are you talking about?) I staged a one-person protest for two and a half months due to side effects from hospital (treatment), but instead, civil legal pressure was coming at me.]

When reporters asked why he committed such a brutal crime against innocent citizens at a commercial complex despite his disputes with a hospital, he remained silent.

The victims' families were left in deep anger.

[Victim's Family : While I was on the phone for a brief moment, I witnessed my younger sibling being carried out on a stretcher. I really just want to ask him properly why he did such a thing.]

The court hearing lasted only 20 minutes, and the court issued an arrest warrant, citing concerns that he might flee.

The police decided to disclose Choi's personal information through an identity disclosure deliberation committee meeting this afternoon.

The police also plan to speed up their investigation to determine the motive and whether the crime was premeditated, including conducting a search and seizure of his residence soon.

To this end, they plan to question hospital officials mentioned by Choi as well as the probation officer who was with him right before the crime.

(Video by : Im Dong-guk, Video Editing by : Lee Sang-min)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.