Arrest Warrants Denied for Two Suspects in Seodaemun-gu Attempted Child Abduction Case

Court: "Room for Dispute Over Charges"
Arrest Warrants Denied for Attempted Kidnapping Near Elementary School

Arrest warrants have been dismissed for a group of individuals who attempted to kidnap children returning home near an elementary school in Seodaemun District, Seoul.

Yonhap News

On September 5, Kim Hyungseok, the judge in charge of warrants at the Seoul Western District Court, conducted a pretrial detention hearing for two men in their twenties and dismissed all warrants, stating, "At this stage, it is difficult to acknowledge the reasons and necessity for detention."

The court explained, "Given that there is room for dispute regarding the suspects' charges and intent, and that it is necessary to guarantee the right to defense to some extent; and considering that the suspects have fixed residences and most of the evidence has been collected, making concerns about destruction of evidence or flight unlikely, it is difficult at this stage to recognize the reasons and necessity for detention."

Previously, the police had urgently arrested three men in their twenties on charges of attempted abduction of minors and requested arrest warrants for two of them. For the remaining individual, the police did not request an arrest warrant, stating that circumstances confirming his involvement in the crime had not been established.

The suspects are accused of attempting to kidnap elementary school students on three occasions near an elementary school and a nearby public parking lot in Hongeun-dong around 3:30 p.m. on August 28.

After finishing a meal at a Chinese restaurant, the suspects approached the children while sitting in a vehicle, saying things like "You're cute" and "We'll take you home." However, the students managed to leave the scene, and the attempt was unsuccessful.