A group attempting to kidnap a child was caught by police near an elementary school in Hongje-dong, Seodaemun-gu, Seoul. Prior to this, the police had disputed the report from a victim's parent who had filed a complaint, saying, "There was no such fact," leading to controversy.
On the 4th, the Seodaemun Police Station announced that they had urgently arrested three men in their 20s on suspicion of attempted abduction of a minor. Arrest warrants were requested for two of them.
They are accused of approaching students near the elementary school in a car around 3:30 p.m. on the 28th of last month, saying, "You are cute. I will take you home." All three attempts failed as the students escaped from the scene.
After receiving a report of an abduction attempt from the guardian of a victimized elementary school student on the 30th, the police analyzed nearby closed-circuit television (CCTV) but found no signs of an attempted abduction. The next day, the elementary school stated through a notice to parents that there had been an attempted abduction near the school, but the police clarified on the 2nd that "There was no such fact."
However, after media reports, additional complaints were received from others who had experienced similar situations, prompting the police to deploy a special investigation team, which apprehended the suspects sequentially in Hong-eun-dong and Gyeonggi Province on the 3rd.
The police stated, "The vehicle used during the first reported crime was a white Starex, but the actual crime vehicle was a gray Sorento," adding that "Because the vehicle type and color were different, it was not accurately identified."
The suspects are reported to have claimed to the police that "the elementary school students looked cute, so it was just a joke."
The pre-arrest interrogation of the suspects is expected to be held at the Seoul Western District Court on the 5th.