Prosecution Indicts and Detains Choi Won-jong for Stabbing Rampage at Bundang Seohyeon Station

Choi Won-jong (22), the suspect in the 'Seohyeon Station stabbing rampage' case, was indicted while in custody on the 29th. On the same day, the dedicated investigation team of the Seongnam Branch of Suwon District Prosecutors' Office (team leader Song Jeong-eun, Chief of Criminal Division 2) formally charged Choi Won-jong with murder, attempted murder, and attempted premeditated murder.

Choi Won-jong, the assailant involved in the stabbing incident at Seohyeon Station, is responding to reporters' questions as he leaves the detention center of Seongnam Sujeong Police Station and heads to the transport vehicle on the morning of the 10th for transfer to the prosecution. Photo by Heo Young-han younghan@

The prosecution explained, "He lived in isolation in a closed psychological state, falling into delusions that others were tormenting him, and his condition worsened as he encountered similar delusional content on internet communities." They added, "This case involved an extreme manifestation of violence based on the belief that 'the delusions are reality' and 'violence is the fundamental solution'." It was judged that Choi Won-jong was not in a state of diminished mental capacity at the time of the crime.

Earlier, on the 3rd at around 5:56 p.m., Choi Won-jong is accused of driving a morning vehicle toward pedestrians in front of AK Plaza Department Store in Seohyeon-dong, Bundang-gu, Seongnam-si, Gyeonggi Province, connected to Seohyeon Station on the Suin-Bundang Line, fatally striking A (64, female) and B (20, female). He is also charged with attempting to kill three other victims by striking them and attempting to kill nine people, including C (47, male), by stabbing them with a sashimi knife after exiting the vehicle and entering a nearby department store.

A died three days after the incident on the 6th, and B passed away the day before, 25 days after the incident, while receiving life-sustaining treatment in a brain-dead state. It was also investigated that on the evening of the 2nd, the day before the crime, Choi Won-jong carried a weapon around Bundang-gu and attempted to kill unspecified multiple people but gave up.

On the 7th, the Gyeonggi Nambu Provincial Police Agency held a personal information disclosure committee and decided to release Choi Won-jong's personal information. The committee stated, "The brutality of the crime and the seriousness of the damage are recognized. There is sufficient evidence of the crime, including the suspect's confession, CCTV footage from the scene, and witness statements." They added, "Considering public anxiety caused by the crime and the preventive effect against similar crimes, it was judged that the public interest in disclosing the personal information is significant." Choi Won-jong, who was detained on the 5th, was transferred to the prosecution on the 10th, and after supplementary investigations, the dedicated prosecution team indicted him on this day.

A Seongnam Branch official said, "We will strictly respond to violent crimes using weapons against unspecified multiple people and imitation crimes involving murder threats to alleviate the public's anxiety that anyone can become a victim."

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