[Getty Images Bank]
[Getty Images Bank]

A middle school student who meets the legal definition of a juvenile under criminal age attacked a stranger with a bladed weapon at an apartment complex in Guri, Gyeonggi Province.

The Guri Police Station said Thursday it had arrested the teenager, identified only as A, on charges including attempted murder and is investigating.

A is accused of attacking a woman in her 40s, identified only as B, from behind with a bladed weapon at an apartment complex in Guri at around 8:01 p.m. Wednesday. B was immediately taken to a hospital for treatment and is not in life-threatening condition, police said.

Officers who responded to the scene apprehended A at the location of the attack. The investigation found that A and B had no prior acquaintance, indicating the assault bore the hallmarks of a so-called "random attack" with no apparent motive.

Police placed A under emergency psychiatric hospitalization in consideration of his condition and the gravity of the case, and are conducting a focused investigation into the circumstances of the incident.

A is under 14 years of age, making him a juvenile under criminal age — a legal designation that shields him from criminal punishment under South Korean law.

"We have booked A on charges of attempted murder for now, but the charges may change depending on how the investigation develops," a police official said.


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