The decision on whether to detain a man in his 30s, referred to as Mr. A, who is accused of causing a stabbing spree in a supermarket in Mia-dong, Gangbuk District, Seoul, resulting in one death, is expected to be made as early as the 24th.
The North Seoul District Court held a pre-arrest interrogation (warrant review) of Mr. A, who is facing murder charges, around 10:30 a.m.
Mr. A appeared in court around 9:52 a.m. that day for the warrant review. When asked by reporters if he would apologize, he said, "I am sorry." In response to the follow-up question about who he was apologizing to, he briefly closed his eyes before replying, "to the victim."
However, Mr. A did not answer questions such as "Why did you wield the weapon?" and "Why did you report yourself to the police?" as he entered the courthouse.
Mr. A is accused of wielding a weapon around 6:20 p.m. on the 22nd at a supermarket in Mia-dong, killing a woman in her 60s and injuring a woman in her 40s. It is reported that Mr. A and the victims were previously unknown to each other.
Immediately after the stabbing spree, Mr. A calmly smoked a cigarette in an alley next to the supermarket and voluntarily reported his crime to the police. There was no significant resistance during the arrest.
The police applied for an arrest warrant for Mr. A the previous afternoon. The court's decision on the warrant review is expected to be released as early as that afternoon.