Citizens Subdue Ex-Convict with Prior Attempted Murder Record
On the afternoon of October 13 last year, a man wielding a weapon at a large commercial complex in Guwol-dong, Yeonsu-gu (actually Namdong-gu), Incheon, was subdued within about five minutes by citizens armed with chairs and umbrellas. The case drew attention because ordinary citizens directly apprehended an offender with a prior attempted murder conviction.
On the morning of the crime, Choi left his home with a weapon, scissors, a hammer, and tape packed in a backpack. To avoid dropping the weapon, he had firmly wrapped both hands and the weapon's handle with white tape prepared in advance, then launched his first attack on office workers queuing at a food court register on the second floor.
Citizens stepped in. The owner of a noodle restaurant threw a tray to distract the attacker, while restaurant staff, shop owners, and other citizens built a barricade with chairs and confronted him with umbrellas. Choi fled toward the third-floor parking lot, stabbing a woman in the shoulder, then tried to force his way up a down escalator to the fourth floor, but he was blocked by the defensive wall citizens had built, fell, and was subdued. Around 10 people were exposed to the weapon in the attack and eight were injured. A 19-year-old woman who was rushed to the hospital in cardiac arrest has never regained consciousness and remains dependent on mechanical ventilation in intensive care.
A police background check revealed that Choi Chungnak had 10 prior convictions, including two for attempted murder. In 2004, he stabbed a real estate agency employee with a weapon and received a suspended prison sentence. In 2007, he wielded a weapon during a fight with his ex-wife. In 2015, he stabbed his ex-wife with a kitchen knife and was sentenced to four years in prison for attempted murder, along with a 10-year electronic tagging order after his release. Even a recidivism risk assessment scored him at 14 points, a "high" level.
There had been warning signs about a month before the attack. In September, Choi staged a solo protest in front of a hospital in Gyeyang-gu carrying a kitchen knife; police had him voluntarily submit the weapon and held it temporarily, only to return it to him after the protest ended. Later, after a complaint was filed through the Safety Report citizen hotline, police investigated him on charges of carrying a weapon in a public place on October 6, a week before the incident—but they merely confiscated the weapon and did not take him into custody.
Choi, who wore an electronic anklet and was under probation supervision, remained at the "intensive" level—the lower tier of the four-stage electronic monitoring system. Despite police notification of the case, the Ministry of Justice only issued an order prohibiting him from carrying weapons and considered requesting additional compliance conditions, declining to raise his supervision level on the grounds that he had not directly attacked anyone. His six prior violations of curfew restrictions also went unaddressed. On the morning of the crime, Choi visited the probation office while carrying a weapon and met with his probation officer. The metal detector did not go off, and the officer failed to detect the weapon in his bag. An hour later, Choi headed to the heart of the city.
Police concluded that the attack was premeditated, citing among other evidence that Choi had prepared hand protection gear and the weapon in advance. Forensic analysis by the National Forensic Service found no narcotic substances in the drugs Choi carried on the day of the crime. Since the medications had been prescribed by a neuropsychiatrist, police determined the attack was not an impulsive act induced by drugs but a premeditated crime committed with full cognitive capacity.
During police questioning, Choi stated that he committed the crime "to make news, because I wanted to draw public attention." Investigators found that he had chosen a busy commercial district about 10 kilometers from the hospital where he had previously been treated for athlete's foot, targeting random passersby. He was carrying a total of 6.8 million won in cash, including 2.2 million won left at the scene, which police believe was money raised from selling precious metals as escape funds.
Police convened the Personal Information Disclosure Review Committee and released the name, age, and photo of Choi, who has been arrested on charges of attempted murder and carrying a weapon in a public place.
