14 Injured in South Korea Stabbing Rampage

Attacker drove car onto sidewalk in Seoul suburb before stabbing shoppers
By Newser Editors and Wire Services
Posted Aug 3, 2023 11:31 AM CDT
14 Injured in South Korea Stabbing Rampage
Police officers cordon off the scene of a stabbing rampage near a subway station in Seongnam, South Korea, Thursday, Aug. 3, 2023.   (Hong Hae-in/Yonhap via AP)

A man rammed a car onto a sidewalk Thursday in South Korea, then stepped out of the vehicle and began stabbing people at a shopping mall. Authorities said at least 14 people were wounded in the country's second mass stabbing in less than a month, the AP reports. At least five people were hurt by the car, and nine others were stabbed in the attack that occurred in a crowded leisure district near a subway station in the Seoul suburb of Seongnam, according to Gyeonggi provincial police official Yoon Sung-hyun.

Authorities arrested a suspect in his 20s at the scene. Police did not identify the man or offer any immediate information about a potential motive. The head of the National Police Agency described the attack as "virtually an act of terrorism." An official at Gyeonggi's provincial fire department said at least two of the wounded were hospitalized in serious condition. Photos from the scene showed forensic units examining the halls of the AK Plaza, where the stabbings took place. A white Kia hatchback with a broken front window and ruptured front tire could be seen on a sidewalk near the Seohyeon subway station.

The National Police Agency held an online meeting Thursday with regional police chiefs to discuss ways to deal with stabbings and other attacks against random targets. Officials discussed increasing nighttime patrols in leisure districts and other crowded areas and strengthening security camera surveillance, according to the agency. Last month, one person was killed and three injured in a stabbing rampage at a Seoul subway station, the New York Times reports. (More South Korea stories.)

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