A man in his 50s wearing an electronic monitoring anklet for a previous attempted murder conviction wounded eight people in a random knife attack in central Incheon, drawing criticism that South Korea's electronic monitoring system for high-risk offenders has reached a fundamental limit. He had been questioned by police a week earlier on suspicion of carrying a weapon and had met with a probation officer the same day, yet neither prevented the attack. Because he violated none of the conditions attached to his anklet at the time, no alert was triggered in the monitoring system — prompting calls for a full review of a program that relies on location tracking.
According to the Incheon Namdong Police Station on the 14th, the suspect, a 59-year-old identified only as A, is accused of swinging a knife at members of the public at a large commercial complex in Guwol-dong, Namdong District, Incheon, at about 1:40 p.m. the previous day, injuring eight. Eight of the 10 people affected were hurt. Among them, a 19-year-old woman was found in cardiac arrest; her heartbeat was restored after emergency surgery, but she remains unconscious and on mechanical ventilation.
A had been treated for a fungal foot infection at a hospital in Gyeyang District, Incheon, and had held one-man protests outside the hospital since August of this year out of frustration that his symptoms had not improved, according to the investigation. He was found to be carrying a knife during one of the protests and was booked last month on suspicion of possessing a weapon in a public place after the hospital reported him. He also appeared for questioning at the Incheon Gyeyang Police Station on the 6th of this month. Police confirmed at the time that he was wearing an anklet for an attempted murder conviction, but confiscated only the knife and sent him home.
In questioning, A told police that he had been dissatisfied with his hospital treatment and resentful that the hospital's report had led to a police investigation, and that he committed the attack to publicize his grievance and draw attention to it. He also said he did not single out specific targets but chose people who appeared physically weaker than himself, and claimed he had no intent to kill. Police have assigned three profilers to determine his exact motive and to establish why he attacked strangers at a commercial complex rather than the hospital that was the object of his grievance.
A was sentenced to four years in prison in 2015 for attempting to kill his former wife and had been ordered to wear an electronic anklet until 2029. On the morning of the attack, he received psychological counseling from an outside specialist, met with a probation officer and ate with the officer until 12:30 p.m. — about 70 minutes before the stabbing.
Investigators found that A had not breached the terms of his anklet at the time of the attack, so no alert was generated in the Ministry of Justice monitoring system. The main conditions imposed on him included a nighttime curfew and compliance with psychiatric treatment, but the attack occurred in broad daylight, when he was permitted to be out. That is why critics say a monitoring system built around location tracking cannot prevent sudden violence by high-risk offenders. With a series of stalking victims killed despite having been issued smartwatches, calls are growing for a broader review of crime prevention and victim protection systems that depend on electronic devices.
Police plan to seek an arrest warrant for A on suspicion of attempted murder and of possessing a weapon in a public place. They also plan to convene a review committee this week to decide whether to release his face, name and other identifying details. The Korean National Police Agency will conduct a comprehensive review of safety measures in stalking and other relationship-based crimes starting on the 19th of this month, and the Ministry of Justice plans to reexamine its entire management framework for people under electronic monitoring.
Experts say location tracking through an electronic anklet has limits in preventing violent crime, and that confinement and treatment measures for offenders at high risk of reoffending should be strengthened. Lee Yoon-ho, an emeritus professor of police administration at Dongguk University, said an anklet can identify only a wearer's location and cannot monitor specific behavior. "It can be effective in crimes such as stalking, where the offender's location matters, but it is difficult to prevent a killing that happens spontaneously, as in this case," the professor said.
"If the suspect had been assessed as being at high risk of reoffending and had already violated a nighttime curfew, active confinement measures should have been considered," the professor added. "Other countries operate systems such as three-strikes laws that confine repeat serious offenders for long periods, so South Korea also needs to strengthen confinement for high-risk offenders and consider committing those with mental illness to treatment facilities."