Armed assailant rams car into shoppers at mall before launching stabbing spree that leaves at least 13 people injured in South Korea
- The attack took place near Seohyeon subway station in Bundang, near Seoul
- CCTV footage shows a suspect stalking through a busy shopping center with a long knife in his hand
A man has committed a “stabbing attack” near a South Korean subway station, injuring at least 10 people after hitting three people with a car, police said Thursday.
The attack took place near the Seohyeon subway station in Bundang, about 20 kilometers southeast of Seoul, a National Police official said.
CCTV footage of the incident shows the suspect walking through the busy department store connected to the station, wearing a dark jacket and brandishing a long knife.
Unverified footage from Thursday’s attack showed the workplace stained with drops of blood and at least one emergency medical helicopter arriving at the scene.
Other clips showed bystanders desperately trying to stem the bleeding of victims lying on the ground after the violent outburst.
The suspect “had been arrested at the scene,” an official said, adding that the motive for the attack was not immediately clear.
Unverified footage from Thursday’s attack showed a floor stained with blood drops and at least one emergency medical helicopter
The attack took place near the Seohyeon subway station in Bundang, about 20 kilometers southeast of Seoul.
In response to the attack, the National Police Agency said it would hold an online meeting with regional police chiefs to discuss how to deal with stabbings and other attacks on random targets.
It comes two weeks after one person was killed and three injured in another stabbing in the South Korean capital on July 21.
South Korea is typically an extremely safe country, with a homicide rate of 1.3 per 100,000 people in 2021, according to official statistics.
By comparison, the United States has 7.8 homicide deaths per 100,000 people, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Bundang, an affluent satellite city of Seoul, generally has a reputation for safe streets and residential areas, but the two stabbings caused concern online.
“The attack (at the) Seohyeon station is truly terrifying,” one person wrote on Twitter, which will be renamed X.
“How can we feel safe and comfortable going outside when these kinds of incidents are happening?”