Seven Women in Gangnam Arrested for 'Random Assault' on Man in His 30s

A man in his 30s who assaulted unknown women in the Gangnam area of Seoul appeared at the pre-arrest detention hearing at the Seoul Central District Court on the 18th.
[Photo by Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Song Seung-yoon] A man in his 30s who assaulted multiple unspecified women in the Gangnam area of Seoul has been arrested.

Choi Chang-hoon, the chief judge in charge of warrants at the Seoul Central District Court, held a pre-arrest detention hearing (warrant review) on the 18th for Kwon, who is suspected of assault, and issued an arrest warrant.

Judge Choi explained the reason for issuing the warrant, stating, "The criminal charges have been substantiated, and considering the seriousness of the case, the grounds for detention (risk of flight) are also recognized."

Kwon was under investigation for allegedly hitting the face of a woman waiting for a taxi on a main road near Nonhyeon Station in Gangnam around 12:40 a.m. on the 8th of this month and fleeing the scene. During his escape, he was also found to have assaulted another woman he encountered. During the police investigation, it was revealed that there are five additional victims besides these two women. All the victims had no prior acquaintance with Kwon.

The so-called "random assault," where strangers are attacked without any reason, has been occurring repeatedly in various places recently. On the same day Kwon committed his crimes, a similar incident occurred in Sinchon, Seodaemun-gu, Seoul. A man in his 20s, identified as A, assaulted a man in his 30s by headbutting his face in front of a cafe in Sinchon around 2 p.m., saying "Let's fight," and later, around 6:30 p.m., assaulted two male pedestrians in Bukgajwa-dong, Seodaemun-gu. He is currently in police custody undergoing investigation.

In May, a suspect in his 30s who assaulted a woman in her 30s in front of Seoul Station and fled was recently brought to trial. During the investigation, it was additionally revealed that the man had pushed or hit four other pedestrians around Seoul Station.

As similar incidents continue to occur, the police have launched a special crackdown to eradicate violent acts in public places. The National Police Agency plans to collect preliminary intelligence for two weeks starting this week and conduct a special crackdown for a total of 60 days from October 1 to October 31. Dedicated investigation teams composed of violent crime units from police stations nationwide will also be operated.

Experts analyze that due to the unpredictable nature and high likelihood of recurrence of random crimes, there is a high possibility that such crimes could escalate into serious crimes in the future. Professor Lee Geon-su of the Department of Police Science at Baekseok University advised, "Those who commit random assaults often have a history of similar crimes, but due to the lack of accurate data, management is difficult. If prediction is difficult, supervision and management should be implemented to prevent recurrence once a crime occurs, and for that, investigative agencies, local governments, and counseling institutions must work comprehensively."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.