Stabbing Rampage at a Tax Office in the Heart of Seoul... Why Did a Tax Office Employee Do It?

Police Emphasize Personal Grudge
Perpetrator Also Tax Office Employee

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Jung-yoon] Attention is focused on the motive behind the crime as it has been confirmed that the man who wielded a weapon and attempted an extreme act at the Jamsil Tax Office in Songpa-gu, Seoul, was a current tax office employee.

According to the police on the 6th, the police are investigating to determine the exact motive, believing that the perpetrator, Mr. A, committed the crime due to a personal grudge against the female victim, Ms. B.

Mr. A was initially reported to be a civil petitioner but was later identified as another tax office employee. It is also known that Ms. B filed a complaint against Mr. A with the police. In December of last year, she requested personal protection from the Songpa Police Station in Seoul. At that time, the police provided Ms. B with a smartwatch and registered her phone number in the 112 system. Mr. A was also given a warning. When the button on the smartwatch is pressed, it immediately reports to 112, and through automatic location tracking, the police quickly dispatch to the location of the protected person. However, it was confirmed that Ms. B was not wearing this device at the time of the incident.

On the afternoon of the 3rd, at 5:01 PM, Mr. A wielded a weapon on the third floor civil service office of the Jamsil Tax Office, attacking two men and Ms. B before attempting self-harm. After ingesting a substance presumed to be poison, he was transported to a hospital but died about an hour later. The victims were taken to a nearby hospital but reportedly did not sustain serious injuries.

The police requested an autopsy from the National Forensic Service on the 5th to determine the cause of Mr. A’s death and are conducting an investigation into the exact circumstances of the incident based on CCTV footage and witness statements. The National Forensic Service has verbally informed the police that the preliminary cause of death is suspected to be poisoning.

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