Suspect in Seohyeon Station Stabbing Incident Appears for Warrant Hearing, Remains Silent

On the 3rd, Choi Mo (22), the suspect in the stabbing rampage at Seohyeon Station that injured 14 people, appeared for a pre-trial detention hearing (warrant review). Choi headed to the courtroom without responding to reporters' questions.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

Choi arrived at the Suwon District Court Seongnam Branch around 2:20 p.m. to attend the warrant review scheduled for 3 p.m. Wearing a cap, short-sleeved T-shirt, and shorts, he lowered his head and proceeded to the courtroom. He remained silent in response to reporters' questions such as "Why did you commit the crime?", "Why did you not receive psychiatric treatment?", "What was the reason for committing the crime while on active duty?", and "Do you have anything to say to the victims?".

Meanwhile, Choi's detention status is expected to be decided within the day. Since Choi has admitted to the entire crime and multiple pieces of video evidence capturing the incident have been secured, it is anticipated that the court's decision will not take long.

Choi is accused of wielding a weapon against citizens on the 1st and 2nd floors of the AK Plaza department store in Seohyeon-dong, Bundang-gu, Seongnam-si, Gyeonggi Province, around 5:59 p.m. on the 3rd. Just before the rampage, he drove a Morning passenger car onto the sidewalk from the road in front of the department store's 2nd floor, hitting pedestrians, then got out of the car and entered the department store to commit additional crimes. Among the 14 injured, two are in critical condition and are reported to possibly be brain dead.

Choi was arrested on the spot by police at 6:05 p.m. that day. The police applied charges including attempted murder and requested an arrest warrant around 9 p.m. the previous night, and the prosecution also soon filed for the warrant with the court.

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