Excavator rams into prosecution office, leaving security guard injured

Police investigate the excavator used to break into the Supreme Prosecutors’ Office compound Tuesday morning. The heavy equipment was driven by a man who said he wanted to “help Choi Soon-sil die.” / Yonhap

By Hong Dam-young

A man has used an excavator to ram the Supreme Prosecutors’ Office building in Seoul’s Seocho-gu district in an apparent bid to "help Choi Soon-sil die."

The excavator driver, surnamed Chung, 45, broke through the front gate of the building with the excavator at 8:30 a.m. Tuesday. He was stopped just before entering the building, according to the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency.

The attack injured a security guard and destroyed part of a public service center’s entrance and other facilities.

The security guard, 60, who attempted to stop the excavator by firing a gas gun, injured his side and leg. He was taken to hospital for treatment of non-life-threatening injuries.

Police used a Taser gun while trying to arrest Chung. They said he kept mumbling when caught, saying, “Choi Soon-sil has committed a crime punishable by death,” referring to the central figure and longtime confidant of President Park Geun-hye who allegedly meddled in state affairs using her friendship with Park. Chung was sober at the time of the incident, police said.

They said Chung had left the city of Sunchang in North Jeolla Province at 3 a.m. with the excavator on a truck. Chung is a heavy-equipment dealer in Sunchang and has a criminal record of physical violence, police said.

“I tried to help Choi die because she has committed a sin punishable by death,” Chung told police.

Choi is being held at the Seoul Central District Prosecutors’ Office across the street from where the incident happened. She was taken into custody on Monday night around 11:57 p.m. over allegations she used her relationship with Park to access official material for personal benefit.