A man in his 40s, identified only by his surname Cheon, arrives at Seoul Southern District Court in Yangcheon-gu on Tuesday for a pretrial detention hearing on charges of carrying a weapon in a public place. [Yonhap]
A man in his 40s, identified only by his surname Cheon, arrives at Seoul Southern District Court in Yangcheon-gu on Tuesday for a pretrial detention hearing on charges of carrying a weapon in a public place. [Yonhap]

A man who threatened pedestrians with a weapon near a Han River park on the final day of the Chuseok holiday has been detained.

Judge Kim Ji-hyeon of Seoul Southern District Court issued an arrest warrant for the man, identified only by his surname Cheon, after conducting a pretrial detention hearing beginning at 10:30 a.m. Tuesday. The judge cited a risk of flight as grounds for the warrant. Cheon, who is in his 40s, faces charges of carrying a weapon in a public place.

Appearing at the hearing, Cheon denied the charges, saying he had done nothing wrong.

Cheon is accused of brandishing a weapon and shouting at pedestrians near Yanghwa Han River Park in Yeongdeungpo-gu on Sunday afternoon. Bystanders fled to a nearby café, and when Cheon attempted to enter, the owner locked the door. No injuries were reported.

The Yeongdeungpo Police Station had applied for the arrest warrant on Monday morning.


arin@heraldcorp.com