Police [Yonhap]
Police [Yonhap]

Police have applied for an arrest warrant for a man in his 40s who stabbed a stranger at a market and fled, saying he wanted to be sent to prison.

The Muju Police Station in North Jeolla Province applied Monday for an arrest warrant against the suspect, identified only as A, on charges of attempted murder.

A is accused of stabbing a market vendor, identified as B, a man in his 60s, at a market in Muju-eup, Muju-gun, at around 12:50 p.m. Sunday before fleeing the scene.

B was taken to a hospital with wounds to his abdomen and shoulder and is not in critical condition. Police apprehended A at a bus terminal about two hours after the attack.

The investigation revealed that A had finished a meal at a restaurant inside the market, then picked up a knife from a street stall and stabbed B, who ran a shop next door.

Police determined that A had intended to kill the victim and upgraded the charges from aggravated assault to attempted murder.

During questioning, A reportedly told police he committed the attack because he was struggling financially and wanted to kill someone so he could be sent to prison.

A was found to have a prior criminal record for similar offenses.

"We plan to investigate the motive, including assessing A's psychological state through criminal profiling," a police official said.


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