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CrimeSouth Korea

South Korea: Man goes on stabbing rampage near Seoul

August 3, 2023

At least 13 people have been injured after a man drove a car onto a sidewalk and stabbed several in a town close to the South Korean capital. Police said they were questioning a suspect.

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Police controlling access to the scene of the attack
Recent stabbing sprees have shaken a country that is not used to violent crimeImage: Yonhap/picture alliance

An attack in the town of Seongnam near the South Korean capital of Seoul on Thursday left 13 people injured, local police said.

Four people were injured when the attacker drove his car onto the sidewalk. He then got out and began stabbing people nearby, injuring a further nine people.

Police said 12 of the victims had been hospitalized and that one person had been arrested.

The attack took place near the Seohyeon station in a commuter town some 20 kilometers (12.43 miles) from Seoul.

Thursday's attack follows a similar stabbing spree in the South Korean capital on July 21 that left three wounded and one dead.

South Korea is usually a relatively safe country with a murder rate of 1.3 per 100,000 people, according to official statistics. For comparison, the murder rate in the US is 7.8 per 100,000 people, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The National Police Agency said on Thursday that it would hold a meeting later in the day to discuss how to address stabbings and attacks on random targets.

ab/sms (AFP, AP, Reuters)