Suspect harbored grudge after victim sought to file defamation complaint

An illustration of an arrest. [123RF]
An illustration of an arrest. [123RF]

A man in his 20s who worked as a manager for a female internet broadcaster, known as a BJ, has been arrested after tracking her down and attacking her with a weapon following a dispute between the two.

The Ansan Sangnok Police Station in Gyeonggi Province said Sunday it had applied for an arrest warrant against the suspect, identified only as A, on charges of aggravated assault and preparation for murder, according to Yonhap.

A allegedly attacked female BJ B with a weapon at a restaurant in Sangnok-gu, Ansan, around 5:20 p.m. Saturday, inflicting wounds to her neck. He is also accused of pouring boiling water over her body. Police responded to a witness report and arrested A at the scene.

According to police, A had worked as a chat moderator on B's internet broadcast channel. He recently quit after a falling-out with B, and the two had been trading insults in the broadcast's chat room.

A began planning the attack after B publicly announced on her broadcast that she had inquired with the Cyber Police Agency about filing a defamation complaint against him.

On the day of the incident, A armed himself with a weapon and went to B's residence to confront her. When she fled to a nearby restaurant, he followed her and carried out the attack.

"We applied the charge of preparation for murder in part because the suspect came prepared with a weapon," a police official said. "We are also reviewing whether to add charges of retaliatory crime, as it appears he acted believing her complaint against him was imminent."


20ki@heraldcorp.com