South Korea supermarket stabbing spree leaves 1 dead
Local police are investigating whether the suspect has a history of mental illness and the reason for the attack
The man in his thirties, identified only as A, was arrested on suspicion of murder immediately after the attack on Tuesday.
Outside the courthouse for his pre-trial hearing on Thursday, he told reporters that the attack was not premeditated. He said: “I’m sorry to the victim. I’ll never do something like this again.”
Following the attack inside the store in Mia-dong, one of the women in her sixties suffered a heart attack and died in a hospital, while a store employee was injured.
Investigators said A had earlier been admitted to a nearby hospital for a finger injury but left while still wearing a hospital gown, according to the Korea JoongAng Daily.
While inside the store, he drank soju before removing a knife on display to carry out the attack. He later hid the knife in a pile of snacks before leaving the store, according to the Maeil Business Newspaper.