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Reuters

Agence France-Presse

A man in a South Korean commuter town rammed his car into passers-by on Thursday then got out and stabbed some, wounding 14 people in the incident near the capital Seoul, police said.
The unexplained attack in Seongnam came days after another rare stabbing attack in South Korea which killed one person and wounded three others.
Police said Thursday’s assailant was arrested after apparently attacking people randomly.
Media reports described him as a man in his 20s with a delivery job and suffering from some mental health issues.

The attack occurred near Seohyeon station, an area about 20km (12 miles) from Seoul that has a large department store and other shops and where many commuters live.
Media reports said the man had crashed his car into a group of people walking on the pavement, and had then got out of his vehicle and entered a shopping centre.
Video circulating on social media appeared to show him chasing shoppers. Reuters has not independently verified the footage.
Police and firefighting officials said by telephone on Friday that 14 people had been hurt in the incident – nine stabbed and five hit by the car. Two were in critical condition.
Earlier, Newsis news agency had reported one person had died, but the police official denied this.
At the scene on Friday morning, a worker was cleaning blood stains outside the mall.
Police Commissioner General Yoon Hee-keun warned South Koreans to be on guard for such attacks and urged officials to be vigilant and look out for copycat crimes.
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 pavement near the Seohyeon subway station.

The National Police Agency held an online meeting on Thursday with regional police chiefs to discuss ways to deal with stabbings and other attacks against random targets.
During the meeting, National Police Agency Commissioner General Yoon Hee-keun described the attack as “virtually an act of terrorism.” Officials discussed increasing nighttime patrols in leisure districts and other crowded areas and strengthening security camera surveillance, according to the agency.
South Korea is typically an extremely safe country, with a murder rate of 1.3 per 100,000 people in 2021, according to official statistics.

By comparison, the United States has 7.8 homicide deaths per 100,000 people, according to the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention.
Bundang, an affluent satellite city of Seoul, generally has a reputation for safe streets and residential neighbourhoods but the two stabbings triggered concern online.
“The attack [near the] Seohyeon station is really terrifying,” one wrote on Twitter, now known as X. “How can we feel safe and comfortable going outside with incidents like this happening?”
Additional reporting by Associated Press


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‘Terrifying’: South Korean police arrest suspect over stabbing that hurt 14 near Seoul

A policeman stands next to a scene of an alleged stabbing in Seongnam, South Korea. Photo: Yonhap/Reuters

At least 13 people were wounded in a stabbing incident on Thursday in Seongnam, just south of the capital Seoul, South Korea’s Yonhap news agency reported, citing police.The report said one person had been arrested. Photo: Weibo

One person was arrested after at least 13 people were wounded in a stabbing incident on Thursday in Seongnam, just south of the South Korean capital of Seoul. Photo: Weibo

An officer stands next to a scene of an alleged stabbing in Seongnam, near the South Korean capital of Seoul. Photo: Yonhap/Reuters

A man went on a “stabbing rampage” near a South Korean subway station, police said Thursday. Photo: Weibo

1 dead, 3 injured in Seoul subway station stabbing

Commuters walking through a subway station in Seoul. File photo: AFP

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The Seoul District Court in March ruled in favour of Kim Joo-sam, saying the state had committed “illegal acts” that violated Kim’s fundamental rights as a human being. Photo: Kyodo

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Kyota Hattori is escorted to the prosecutor’s office in Tokyo on November 2, 2021. Hattori was sentenced to 23 years for stabbing a passenger, and setting a fire on a Tokyo train. Photo: AFP

Firefighters gather at a train station after a fire broke out on October 31, 2021. A Japanese court sentenced Kyota Hattori for stabbing a passenger and setting a fire on a Tokyo express train while dressed in a Joker costume. Photo: AP

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Asia

East Asia

The incident comes just days after another rare stabbing attack in Seoul in which one person was killed and three others wounded
Police said the assailant was arrested after apparently attacking people randomly


The incident comes just days after another rare stabbing attack in Seoul in which one person was killed and three others wounded.


Crime