Police have found no indication that Choi Chung-rak, 59, who was arrested on charges of attempting to kill 10 people with a knife at a large commercial complex in Incheon, scouted the site in advance. Police plan to conduct a digital forensic examination of his mobile phone to further determine whether the attack was premeditated.
According to the Namdong Police Station in Incheon on the 19th, officers searched the western branch office of the Incheon Probation Office on the 17th of this month and obtained GPS tracking data from Choi's electronic monitoring anklet, along with probation case logs.
An analysis of three months of GPS location data turned up no sign that Choi had visited the commercial complex in Guwol-dong, Namdong-gu, Incheon, before the attack. Interviews with his probation officer and a review of the probation logs also produced no records suggesting he had planned the crime beforehand. Police said, however, that the absence of evidence of advance scouting alone does not rule out the possibility of a premeditated crime, and they will continue investigating. They are now examining Choi's seized mobile phone through digital forensics to establish his specific motive and whether he planned the attack in advance.
Choi was arrested on charges of stabbing 10 people at the commercial building in Guwol-dong, Namdong-gu, Incheon, at about 1:48 p.m. on the 13th of this month in an attempt to kill them. Eight people were injured, including a 19-year-old woman who was left unconscious.
In questioning, Choi said he was dissatisfied with a hospital where he had received treatment for a skin condition and that a report by the hospital had led to a police investigation of him. He also stated that he had committed a crime likely to draw media attention in order to publicize his grievances.