Police Hunt Weapon Robber
By Kim Rahn
Staff Reporter
The police and military were continuing Friday a full-scale manhunt for a fugitive who attacked two marine sentries and fled with their weapons, but so far have only found his burnt-out sports utility vehicle.
At a meeting of top military commanders, Defense Minister Kim Jang-soo ordered them to step up efforts to catch the man in cooperation with the police. The authorities have strengthened guards at major government facilities and banks, with 1,800 troops searching for the suspect.
Police found the charred Korando SUV _ identified from reports by witnesses _ in a rice field in Hwaseong, southwest of Seoul, 105 kilometers away from the assault site and 10 kilometers away from highway exit.
At 5:30 p.m., Thursday, a man said to be in his 30s, ran his car into the marines _ Sgt. Lee Jae-hyeok and Pfc. Park Yeong-cheol, both 20 _ who were walking back to their base, outside a military checkpoint on Ganghwa Island, northwest of Seoul. Park was rendered unconscious while Lee was knocked down.
After driving back to the soldiers, the suspect got out of his car, pretending that it was just an accident. He then stabbed Lee with a knife several times, while Lee retaliated by hitting the man in the head with his K-2 rifle until he bled, according to Lee and witnesses.
The suspect seized the rifle, went to the unconscious Park whom he also stabbed before taking 75 bullets and hand grenade from him, and fled. The two marines were immediately taken to hospital where Park died a few hours later. His division will hold a funeral service today. Lee is reportedly in stable condition.
According to police, the SUV was a stolen car. They began checking cars on nearby roads, bridges and highway toll booths. But a tollbooth camera recording at Cheongbuk exit showed that the car had passed there at 7:38 p.m., two minutes before local police arrived.
Police are trying to identify the fugitive by examining DNA from his blood stain left on a hat that he dropped at the scene. Suspecting the wounded man may have bought medicine, they are seeking witnesses and have also offered a 20-million won reward.
They also suspect the man may head to the Chungcheong provinces, as Hwaseong, where the car was found, is in the middle of the Ganghwa and Chungcheong regions.
Police suspect the attack was committed as part of an elaborate scheme, as he seemed to be familiar with the military checkpoint in a remote place, and aware of soldiers' duty times _ they said the man is possibly a former soldier who served his mandatory military duty in the area. Also the car's license plates were fabricated.
Officers suspect he may have had an accomplice, as a witnesses reported another car parked together with the SUV by the rice field before the latter was burned.
As the fugitive stole the weapons, the police fear he is plotting an additional crime using them. Previous cases have seen such criminals seizing weapons to commit bank robberies, they said.
With 11 days to go before the presidential election, it is also feared the suspect may launch an attack on the candidates.
The Grand National Party said its candidate Lee Myung-bak would refrain from staging street campaigns until the suspect is caught. Other parties also strengthened the guards around their candidates, and are considering having them wear bulletproof vests.