Jung Min-ho has worked as a staff writer at The Korea Times since 2012, mostly covering social and political issues. He currently belongs to the Politics & City Desk where he covers topics such as health, labor and human rights. Prior to joining the team, he was responsible for covering North Korea and sports. His article about a biosecurity breach of Middle East respiratory syndrome won him an award from the Korea Science Journalists Association in 2016. He is also the co-author of the book, "Medical Pioneers of Korea" (2019). He served as the head of the international relations committee at the Journalists Association of Korea from 2021 to 2023.
Teen suspected in attempted murder of female schoolmate dies
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By Jung Min-ho
A 17-year-old suspect in an attempted murder case has died several days after attacking his schoolmate brutally with a weapon. After the attack, the perpetrator jumped from an apartment building in an apparent suicide attempt.
According to the Ansan Danwon Police Station, the suspect was pronounced dead Thursday at a hospital, where he had received treatment for severe injuries after the fall.
He was facing an attempted murder charge after assaulting a female student, also 17, with a 20-centimeter-long knife for no obvious reason inside the bathroom of a hagwon (a for-profit private educational academy) in Ansan, Gyeonggi Province, at around 3:40 p.m. on Monday.
He then went to a nearby apartment building, from which he had jumped. He was later found alive by a passerby and transported to a hospital.
Despite the grave injuries to the face, arms and other body parts, the girl survived the attack.
The motive of the crime remains unknown. The victim told police she knew little about him, with almost no personal contact. She reportedly said he was one of many schoolmates and they just attended the same hagwon.
Police will investigate further into the case to find out what caused him to carry out the apparently premeditated attack.