In a commercial building in Cheonho-dong, Gangdong District, Seoul, a man went on a stabbing rampage, leaving three civilians seriously injured. The man was identified as a former head of a street housing regeneration project association who was dismissed following a sexual molestation report.
The Gangdong Police Station in Seoul said on Nov. 4 that it arrested a man in his 60s surnamed Cho as a suspect in attempted murder and is questioning him after apprehending him at the scene.
At about 10:20 a.m. that day, Cho allegedly tried to kill two female employees, including a woman in her 50s identified as A, and a man in his 70s who is the acting head of the association, by stabbing them with a weapon at the office of the street housing regeneration project association in Cheonho-dong, Gangdong District. A police official said, "All three victims are being treated at a hospital and their lives are not in danger."
Cho was understood to be the immediate past head of the association. Cho was reportedly living alone with his wife in the street housing regeneration project zone.
According to association officials, Cho was indicted on charges of forcible molestation after getting drunk and groping A while heading home after finalizing a construction contract on July. Afterward, Cho was dismissed as association head, and when prosecutors sought a fine in court, he reportedly approached A to seek a settlement.
A person identified as B, who runs a real estate business nearby, said, "After the sexual molestation incident with A, Cho bore a grudge against the association."
The specific circumstances of the crime is under investigation.