'Weapon Rampage' Choi Won-jong Mental Evaluation Result "Presumed State of Diminished Capacity"...Prosecution Rebuttal

[Image source=Yonhap News]

Choi Won-jong (23), the defendant in the 'weapon rampage incident' that occurred in Bundang, Gyeonggi Province, was found to have likely committed the crime in a state of diminished mental capacity according to a psychiatric evaluation. The prosecution refuted this and maintained their original position.

At the continuation hearing of the case held on the 4th at the Seongnam Branch of Suwon District Court, Criminal Division 2 (Presiding Judge Kang Hyun-gu), the court disclosed the contents of the psychiatric evaluation report on Choi Won-jong prepared by the National Forensic Hospital.

The psychiatric evaluation report stated, "At the time of the crime, the defendant was in a state of diminished mental capacity with impaired ability to distinguish objects and make decisions. Without psychiatric treatment, schizophrenia, which causes symptoms such as delusions, may persist, posing a high risk of reoffending. However, the criteria for antisocial personality disorder are not met."

Earlier, the defense admitted all charges but requested a psychiatric evaluation.

The prosecution countered the National Forensic Hospital’s psychiatric evaluation results by asserting, consistent with their claims during the investigation and trial, that "the defendant was not in a state of diminished mental capacity at the time of the crime."

The defendant’s lawyer stated, "Considering that schizophrenia may persist without psychiatric treatment, increasing the risk of reoffending, and the inevitability of a long-term prison sentence, treatment and custody are necessary."

During the hearing, three victims appeared in court to testify. The father of Kim Hye-bin (20 at the time of the incident), who died in this case, appealed to the court, saying, "Choi Won-jong is a criminal driven by delusions and an antisocial person who is mentally immature," and urged the court to impose the maximum sentence of death to ensure he is permanently isolated from society.

The prosecution requested an electronic monitoring order for Choi Won-jong, stating, "Considering the circumstances and danger of the crime, the extent of the damage, and the fact that the defendant showed delusional symptoms even after the crime, the risk of reoffending is high."

Choi Won-jong is accused of driving his mother’s car onto the sidewalk near AK Plaza Bundang in Seongnam’s Bundang district on the afternoon of August 3 last year, hitting five people, then getting out of the car and wielding a weapon inside the department store (charges include murder, attempted murder, and attempted premeditated murder).

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