Incheon Knife Attacker Received Suspended Sentence Despite Attempted Murder 22 Years Ago
On the afternoon of the 13th, a man identified as Mr. A (59) indiscriminately attacked ten strangers with a knife at a large commercial complex in Gwal-dong, Namdong-gu, Incheon, injuring eight people. Having returned to society after serving his prison term, Mr. A picked up a blade once again while wearing an electronic ankle monitor. One 19-year-old woman was taken to the hospital in cardiac arrest; her heartbeat was restored after emergency surgery, but she remains unconscious and is being treated in the intensive care unit. Five other victims are hospitalized, two are receiving outpatient treatment, and the remaining two were found to be unharmed. The Incheon Namdong Police Station applied for an arrest warrant for Mr. A on the 14th on charges of attempted murder and possession of a dangerous weapon in a public place.
Investigation results confirmed on the 15th showed that Mr. A received a suspended sentence for attempted murder 22 years ago, and although he went on to repeat attempted murder and assault, the heaviest sentence he ever received was four years in prison. In the first trial of his first attempted murder case in 2004, the court sentenced him to five years, viewing the crime as one committed with awareness of the possibility of the victim's death. However, in the appeal trial, the sentence was reduced to two years and six months, suspended for three years, on the grounds of his settlement with the victim.
In 2007, during a drunken argument with Ms. B, a woman he was living with, Mr. A wrested the weapon away after she attacked him first with a box cutter and swung it. Both were indicted on charges of violating the Act on the Punishment of Acts of Violence, and the court, taking into account that neither wished to see the other punished, sentenced Mr. A to one year and six months in prison, suspended for three years.
In 2015, when Ms. B, whom he had married and later divorced, refused to reunite with him, Mr. A swung a knife repeatedly at her arm, hand, and chest. Although a police officer who responded to the report struck his arm with a baton, he refused to drop the weapon and continued trying to swing it. The court sentenced him to four years in prison, judged him to be at risk of reoffending, and ordered him to wear an electronic ankle monitor for ten years after his release (ending February 23, 2029). In that trial, Mr. A's recidivism risk assessment score was 14 points, corresponding to a 'high' level. However, the court cited his confession and remorse as mitigating factors, and Mr. A submitted dozens of letters of reflection during the proceedings. He appealed on the grounds of mental impairment and intoxication, but the appeal was reportedly rejected.
