2 arrested for attempted murder and abduction of popular YouTuber in Incheon

Two men accused of kidnapping and attempted murder of a popular gaming YouTuber appear for a pretrial detention hearing at Incheon District Court, Thursday. Newsis

Two men have been arrested on charges of kidnapping and attempting to murder a well-known gaming YouTuber with more than 1 million subscribers in Incheon.

Incheon Yeonsu Police said Thursday that they had detained a man in his 20s and another in his 30s on charges of attempted murder and joint confinement.

Judge Yoo A-ram of the Incheon District Court issued arrest warrants, citing concerns of flight risk.

According to police, the suspects abducted the victim, a man in his 30s, at around 10:40 p.m. on Sunday in the underground parking lot of an apartment complex in Songdo International City, Incheon.

They lured him out by claiming they would repay borrowed money, then forced him into a vehicle and drove about 200 kilometers to Geumsan County, South Chungcheong Province, where they attempted to kill him with a blunt weapon.

Before the meeting, the victim had contacted police, warning that his life was in danger. Investigators tracked the suspects through CCTV footage and arrested them in a park in Geumsan around 2:40 a.m. on Monday— roughly four hours after the abduction. The victim sustained facial injuries from the assault but was not in critical condition.

Police said the suspects had financial disputes with the victim. The victim told investigators that the pair owed him money.

This article from the Hankook Ilbo, the sister publication of The Korea Times, is translated by generative AI and edited by The Korea Times.