Evidence of premeditation emerges in case

Choi Chung-rak, 59, who is accused of attacking 10 people with a knife at a large commercial facility in Incheon in an attempted mass killing, is transferred from the Incheon Namdong Police Station to the Incheon District Public Prosecution Service on Oct. 23. [Yonhap]
Choi Chung-rak, 59, who is accused of attacking 10 people with a knife at a large commercial facility in Incheon in an attempted mass killing, is transferred from the Incheon Namdong Police Station to the Incheon District Public Prosecution Service on Oct. 23. [Yonhap]

Choi Chung-rak, 59, who is accused of attacking 10 people with a knife at a large shopping mall in Incheon in an attempt to kill them, has been indicted and placed in detention.

The second criminal division of the Incheon District Public Prosecution Service said Wednesday it had indicted Choi on charges of attempted murder and carrying a deadly weapon in a public place, and had also filed a petition to have him fitted with an electronic monitoring anklet.

Choi is accused of attacking 10 people with a knife at a large shopping mall in Namdong-gu, Incheon, on Oct. 13 in an attempt to kill them. Seven victims were injured in the attack, and one has yet to regain consciousness.

Prosecutors concluded that the attack was a "random-motive crime," determining that Choi had targeted vulnerable individuals to vent his frustrations after a series of personal grievances went unresolved.

According to prosecutors, Choi staged a one-person protest outside a hospital in August and September over dissatisfaction with his medical treatment but failed to obtain the compensation he sought. His grievances deepened when police investigated him on charges of obstruction of business and carrying a deadly weapon in a public place during the protest.

Choi had initially planned to kill doctors and other hospital staff but concluded that security was too tight, prosecutors said. He then decided to target random members of the public and purchased the knife he would use in the attack. In early October, he settled his affairs, handed a substantial sum of money to an acquaintance and said, "If something goes wrong with me, put it in my prison account."

On the day of the attack, Choi left home with the knife concealed in a bag, intending to stab people. When he discovered the blade had pierced through the bag, he decided to act immediately, fearing someone would report it to police and foil his plan, according to the investigation.

Choi has prior convictions for attempted murder — receiving a suspended sentence of two years and six months in 2005 and a four-year prison term in 2015. He had also been receiving psychiatric treatment for about 30 years.

Through a psychiatric evaluation by a specialist and an integrated psychological analysis, prosecutors determined that while Choi's mental illness had influenced his actions, he had not reached the threshold of diminished capacity at the time of the attack. Prosecutors concluded that his tendency to commit violent crimes against physically vulnerable people as an outlet for frustration — when situations did not resolve as he wished — had driven him to act.

The case also exposed gaps in the information-sharing system between police and probation offices regarding individuals fitted with electronic monitoring devices. Choi, who was wearing an anklet at the time, was reported in September for carrying a knife outside a hospital, but that information was not promptly relayed to the western branch of the Incheon Probation Office.

Prosecutors asked police and probation offices to review ways to share information more quickly when a person wearing an electronic monitoring device is involved in a criminal case. They also said they would actively pursue a measure to impose a prohibition on carrying or using a knife as a mandatory condition when filing future petitions for electronic monitoring.

Prosecutors had earlier paid two victims a combined 79.9 million won ($59,500) in emergency relief funds, while the Crime Victim Support Center provided about 16.5 million won in living expenses and medical costs to eight other victims. Prosecutors said they had also begun asset seizure proceedings against Choi to exercise the state's right of indemnity for the relief funds paid out.

Three days after the attack, on Oct. 16, the Incheon Metropolitan Police Agency convened a personal information disclosure review committee and released Choi's name, age and mugshot. Police said the decision to disclose his identity was unanimous, citing the brutality of the attack, the severity of the harm caused and the sufficiency of the evidence gathered, all of which met the criteria for disclosure in the public interest.


yg@heraldcorp.com