The suspect in Thursday’s stabbing rampage in Bundang, south of Seoul, had dropped out of high school due to social phobia and was later diagnosed with schizoid personality disorder, investigators said Friday.
The 22-year-old suspect, surnamed Choi, also appears to be suffering from persecutory delusions, speaking incoherently during the initial questioning and claiming that “a certain group of people is stalking and trying to kill me,” according to police.
On Thursday evening, Choi rammed a vehicle into pedestrians outside of a department store and then attacked shoppers with a knife inside the store, which is connected to the nearby Seohyeon Station and draws many commuters and shoppers.
The attack left 14 people wounded, 12 of them seriously. Of the total, nine were wounded in the stabbing attack and five in the car crash. Police quickly apprehended the suspect, and a rapid drug test conducted on him was negative.
Police sought a warrant to formally arrest the suspect on charges of attempted murder.
The Gyeonggi Nambu Provincial Police Agency handling the case said Friday that the suspect has been suffering a mental illness since his high-school years and he has displayed symptoms of persecutory delusions during an investigation.
Based on his statements, police suspect a persecution complex and other mental illness led to the crime.
According to what Choi and his family told police, the suspect dropped out of high school in his freshman year due to social phobia, or social anxiety disorder. He was later diagnosed with schizoid personality disorder around 2020 but received no proper treatment.
Since quitting school, Choi has spent time staying at home or doing part-time jobs. He recently began to work for a delivery service firm as a deliveryman. He was living with his family at the time of the crime.
Officials also quoted Choi as telling police that he visited the department store and Seohyeon Station one day before his crime with two knives he bought at a discount store.
Choi told police he had decided to commit the crime on the day, but could not go ahead because “I was afraid.”
Police are currently conducting a forensic examination of two mobile phones belonging to Choi and a PC to scrutinize his internet history. They plan to seek an arrest warrant for him after questioning him further to determine the exact motive.
“It’s not that the suspect is refusing to speak, but he is speaking incoherently,” a police official said, adding more investigations are needed to get to the bottom of the case.
The government and relevant agencies have been struggling to devise measures to curb cruel crimes.
The justice ministry said it is considering introducing life imprisonment, which does not allow any parole, in the penal code.
The health and justice ministries are seeking to run a task force to enhance the efficacy of psychiatric treatment, as some perpetrators of heinous crimes are thought to have mental disorders.
Source: Yonhap News Agency