Singer recalls near-fatal knife attack in Jeju as police mishandling scandal resurfaces

A video uploaded by singer Seong Hyeon-woo in February [Seong Hyeon-woo YouTube channel]

Amid a growing scandal over police mishandling of missing-persons cases in Jeju, where the bodies of several missing individuals have been found in recent days, a video in which singer Seong Hyeon-woo, 29, describes being chased by a knife-wielding man on the island has resurfaced online.

Seong uploaded the video to YouTube in February under the title "The story of almost being killed while traveling to Jeju Island — 100% true."

He said he had been too afraid to speak out earlier, fearing the attacker might see the video and come after him, before recounting the incident he experienced in Jeju in 2021.

Seong said he had been visiting a restaurant on Jeju Island when a middle-aged male customer became visibly drunk. The man began hurling abuse at a foreign female employee who could not fully understand him, and the employee looked toward Seong as if seeking help.

Seong said he asked the man to keep it down, telling him he was being too loud and using too much profanity, and requested that he let others eat in peace.

A brief argument followed, but the restaurant owner intervened and escorted the man outside, seemingly resolving the situation.

The man, however, waited outside until Seong finished his meal and emerged, then called out to him. He asked whether Seong could fight, then pulled out what appeared to be a large kitchen knife he had concealed behind his back and threatened Seong with it. The man had tightly bound the handle of the weapon to his arm and hand with bandages, Seong said, and was tall and powerfully built.

"The only place I could have run back to was the restaurant, but I thought that would put the employees and the owner in danger, so I ran in the opposite direction," Seong said. He added that when he glanced back thinking he had lost the man, he saw him running toward him with the knife. It was evening, the streets were dark with almost no streetlights, and there were few people around. "There was no one nearby to call for help," Seong recalled. "I thought if I stopped running I would die, so I ran like a madman."

Seong finally shook the man in an alley near his accommodation and returned to call police. Officers arrived within about three to five minutes and arrested the man in a nearby alley. He was still carrying the knife strapped to his wrist with bandages when taken into custody.

While writing his statement at the police station, Seong said an officer asked him why he had been so startled. Taken aback by the question, Seong replied that it was hardly a situation that would leave anyone calm. The officer responded that such incidents were common in Jeju, saying many sailors frequented the coastal areas and knife threats were not unusual there, and advised him to avoid getting into disputes with sailors whenever possible.

After Seong posted the video, some viewers questioned whether the story was fabricated. In response, he released a partial screenshot of a case inquiry screen showing the incident had been classified under the charge of aggravated intimidation.

Jang Mi-ran, 37, who went missing in Jeju. [Provided by the missing person's family]

The six-month-old video has drawn renewed attention because of a controversy over Jeju police's inadequate response to a series of recent missing-persons cases on the island.

Officer A of the Jeju Western Police Station, despite receiving a missing-persons report for Jang Mi-ran in May, took no proper action and falsely told the reporting party that Jang was safe before closing the case. After the misconduct came to light, police resumed their search and on Monday discovered what is believed to be Jang's body at a farm near the accommodation where she had been staying. Police said they consider the likelihood of foul play to be low.

The same officer was also found to have received a report on July 2 that a man had gone missing, only to again falsely tell the reporting party the man was safe and close the case. That man's body was also found on Saturday.

Four bodies believed to be those of missing persons have been found in Jeju over the past three days.

paq@heraldcorp.com