A man in his 50s who wounded eight people in a knife attack at a large commercial complex in Incheon's Namdong District said "I have committed a crime deserving death" as he appeared for a pre-detention hearing. He claimed that he was carrying 6.8 million won ($4,900) at the time of the attack because of pressure from a lawsuit involving a hospital.
According to legal sources on the 16th, Park Young-gi, the chief judge in charge of warrants at the Incheon District Court, issued an arrest warrant for A, 59, who faces charges of attempted murder and possession of a bladed weapon in a public place, after holding the pre-detention hearing that day.
A, who arrived at the court with his face covered by a hat and a mask, replied to reporters asking why he had attacked strangers and whether he had anything to say to the victims: "I am sorry. I have committed a crime deserving death."
Explaining why he had 6.8 million won in cash, he said, "I heard the hospital would take even a 10-won coin from me, so I withdrew the money to donate it if things became urgent. It was absolutely not for running away." He went on to say that he had staged a solo protest claiming he suffered side effects from treatment at the hospital, but instead faced pressure from a civil lawsuit filed by the hospital, adding, "There was pressure from a lawyer who said they would scrape out every last 10-won coin."
Asked whether he had committed the attack to draw attention, he said, "That is not it. It is because they created a situation in which I had no choice but to fall off a cliff." He also denied targeting only vulnerable people, saying "No." A family member of one victim who had been waiting in front of the court that day confronted A, protesting "Why did you do it?" and calling for severe punishment. A is accused of stabbing 10 visitors with a knife in an attempt to kill them at a large commercial complex in Incheon's Guwol-dong at about 1:48 p.m. on the 13th of this month.