A 19-year-old woman critically injured in a stabbing rampage at a large commercial complex in Incheon has not regained consciousness for a week. A petition calling for her recovery and for a severe punishment for the attacker has drawn 15,000 signatures.
Taken to Hospital in Cardiac Arrest, Victim Still Unconscious After a Week
According to police on the 20th, the woman, identified only as A, was stabbed by Choi Chung-rak, 59, at a large commercial complex in Incheon's Namdong District at about 1:48 p.m. on the 13th and has yet to recover consciousness.
Investigators determined that A was the second of the 10 people attacked in the incident. Choi suddenly charged at a woman in her 20s who was with A in the building's restaurant area and swung a knife.
A was taken to a hospital in cardiac arrest and regained a pulse after emergency surgery. She remains unconscious and is being treated in an intensive care unit.
Choi was wearing an electronic monitoring anklet at the time of the attack and had knives tied to both hands as he swung them indiscriminately, according to the investigation.
A Friend of Eight Years Speaks Out: 'She Worked Part Time While Studying for Her Dream'
As details of the victim's case became known, calls for a harsh sentence for the attacker have grown. A petition started by a friend who has known A for eight years had drawn 15,000 signatures as of the previous night.
"I hope that appropriate responsibility will certainly follow for a crime that destroyed one person's precious life," the friend said.
The friend said, "When I received a message from A's mother asking us to send words of encouragement so that her daughter could regain consciousness, I felt deep anger and sadness upon first hearing what had happened."
"My friend was a diligent and strong person who attended a private academy and worked part time for her dream," the friend added. "Please join the petition so that this case does not end simply as one individual's tragedy."
Petition Draws 15,000 Signatures; Life Sentence Seen as Possible
Because the case involves multiple victims, attention is also turning to the sentencing guidelines that will apply at trial.
If the court recognizes that the attempted murder involved three or more victims, sentencing guidelines for concurrent offenses with multiple victims could apply. In that case, the sentence could be substantially heavier than in a typical attempted murder case.
Some observers say a sentence of up to life imprisonment is possible, particularly if the court finds that the attack targeted random members of the public or showed an extreme disregard for human life.
The actual sentence, however, will be determined by considering the circumstances of the crime, the extent of the harm and the sentencing factors recognized by the court.