Half of random attacks involved the use of weapons

More than half of the crimes committed with abnormal motives — so-called random attacks — since statistics began being compiled in 2023 through the first half of this year involved the use of knives or other weapons. According to data submitted by the National Police Agency to Rep. Kim Ye-ji of the ruling People Power Party, a member of the National Assembly's Public Administration and Security Committee, on the 18th, a total of 146 such crimes (committed without a clear motive) occurred during the same period.

By type of crime, assault was the most common with 61 cases, followed by 36 cases of battery, 34 of attempted murder, and 15 of murder. In 85 cases (58.2%), the perpetrator used a tool to carry out the crime, and among those, sharp objects such as knives accounted for 59 cases (69.4%).

By location, 127 of the 146 cases (87.0%) occurred in public places. Streets accounted for the most with 90 cases, followed by 20 cases at crowded venues such as shopping malls and subway stations, and 17 cases at stores such as convenience stores. By time of day, the late afternoon hours of 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. saw the most cases with 42, followed by 23 late-night cases (11 p.m. to 2 a.m.) and 21 morning cases (10 a.m. to 1 p.m.).

By age, suspects in their 30s were the most numerous at 34 (23.2%), followed by 32 in their 50s and 28 in their 40s.

The crime of Choi Chung-rak, 59, who is accused of attempting to murder 10 people by stabbing them with a weapon on the second and third floors of a large commercial complex in Guwol-dong, Namdong-gu, Incheon, at around 1:48 p.m. on the 13th, showed a similar pattern to the random attack statistics. Among the victims, a 19-year-old woman was transported to the hospital in cardiac arrest and remains in critical condition, relying on mechanical ventilation. The remaining nine were confirmed to have no life-threatening injuries. Choi reportedly told investigators during questioning that he harbored resentment toward the hospital where he had been treated for a skin condition, and that he committed the crime to make news in order to draw public attention to his grievance.