President Lee Jae Myung visited the Incheon Metropolitan Police Agency on Tuesday evening to receive a briefing on an indiscriminate stabbing that left nine people injured in central Incheon earlier in the day, according to Cheong Wa Dae.
The attack occurred at around 1:40 p.m. in Guwol-dong, downtown Incheon, where a 59-year-old man allegedly attacked people with a sharp object strapped to each hand while moving along an escalator inside a Homeplus hypermarket.
The suspect was apprehended by citizens before police arrived. Police said he was already under electronic monitoring.
Lee was briefed by Incheon Metropolitan Police Agency Commissioner Yu Seung-ryeol and called for a swift and thorough investigation. He also called for measures to support the victims' recovery and protect their personal safety.
In particular, given that the suspect was wearing an electronic ankle monitor, Lee ordered a comprehensive review of the management and supervision of people under electronic monitoring, as well as fundamental improvements to any problems identified.
The suspect had been placed under electronic monitoring after serving a four-year prison sentence for attempting to murder his former wife. Police said he also possessed another blunt object, an additional weapon and a large quantity of medication, the contents of which were still being analyzed.
He was also under investigation for carrying a weapon after being caught during a one-man protest in front of a hospital in the city last month.
Eight of the nine injured were not in life-threatening condition. A woman in her 20s was taken to a hospital in cardiac arrest and was reportedly receiving treatment in the intensive care unit.
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