The bereaved family of a woman killed during last year's subway stabbing rampage has sent a letter of gratitude for the police officers in charge of the case, Suwon Nambu Police Station said Saturday.
Kim Hye-bin, who was a 20-year-old college student at the time, was one of two victims fatally injured by then-22-year-old Choi Won-jong near Seohyeon Station in Seongnam city, Gyeonggi Province on Aug. 3, 2023. Family members of Kim and 65-year-old Lee Hoi-nam, who also lost her life in the rampage, decided to reveal their identities in the hope that they will not be forgotten by the public.
In the letter, Kim's parents thanked Chief Jo Byeong-no and Sgt. Hwang Hye-sol of Suwon Nambu Police Station for helping with the paperwork with the funeral procedures, for explaining each process of the investigation, for providing the bereaved family with a place to stay and for giving them advice.
"The Seohyeon Station case is a major incident that the country is keeping a close eye on. Yet many (government) organizations disappointed the victims' families citing the law, the lack of precedents and the lack of (relevant) policies. But Chief Jo's consideration and Sgt. Hwang's management of the situation provided great comfort to our family," the Kim family wrote in the letter.
In an online post on the police station's homepage, the victim's cousin and aunt also wrote a letter of gratitude to Hwang.
In an episode shared by the cousin, the doctor said that Kim -- who had been in coma for 25 days before dying due to injuries inflicted by the stabber -- might still be able to hear her family. Hwang went out and acquired a tape recorder, which the family used to record messages to her as well as Kim's favorite music.
Choi was sentenced to life in prison earlier this month, after Suwon District Court found him guilty of multiple charges of murder, attempted murder and the intent to commit murder. The perpetrator's attack not only resulted in the deaths of Kim and Lee, but he also injured a dozen of those passing by.
During the police investigation, Choi, whom police said had been diagnosed with schizophrenia in 2020 but had stopped receiving treatment, said he had committed the attack due to being stalked by a group of people who were trying to harm him.
