Prosecutors indict suspect of lethal stabbing rampage in Bundang

The Korea Times

The Korea Times

National

Wed, December 6, 2023 | 19:43

Law & Crime

Prosecutors indict suspect of lethal stabbing rampage in Bundang

Posted : 2023-08-29 14:43

Updated : 2023-08-30 09:26

Choi Won-jong, the suspect of the lethal stabbing rampage in Bundang, is escorted by police officials out of a police station in Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province, to the prosecution office, Aug. 10. Yonhap

Prosecutors on Tuesday indicted the 22-year-old suspect in the deadly stabbing rampage in Bundang, south of Seoul, which left two dead and 12 others wounded.

Choi Won-jong is accused of ramming his mother's vehicle into random pedestrians outside a department store in Bundang and then attacking shoppers with a knife inside the establishment on Aug. 3. The department store is connected to nearby Seohyeon Station and draws many commuters and shoppers.

Two women died while being treated for injuries sustained in the car crash, while 12 others were wounded, five of them seriously.

Choi is also charged with visiting the same department store and nearby subway stations with a weapon the day before his crime, intending to go on a stabbing rampage.

The Seongnam branch of the Suwon District Prosecutors Office indicted Choi on the charges of murder, attempted murder and murder preparation Tuesday.

Referring to its investigation results and analysis, the prosecution office said Choi, while living alone in isolation, developed delusions of persecution that got worse as he became exposed to online posts complaining of similar symptoms. He also appears to have reached the conclusion that violence is a fundamental solution and a means of self-protection, prosecution officials said.

In the initial police investigation, Choi reportedly claimed that "a certain group of people is stalking and trying to kill me" and spoke incoherently.

Choi was diagnosed with schizoid personality disorder in 2020 but has not received any medical treatment in the past three years. Shortly before his crime, Choi came to his parents' home and complained of his difficulties but concluded his parents were bought off by the staking organization upon their suggestion that he undergo medical treatment.

Choi had previously been enrolled in a university but dropped out due to mental difficulties, including an anxiety disorder, and later moved to his current university, where classes are given mostly online, the officials said. (Yonhap)