Armed attacker wounds at least 13 people in South Korea

• The attack took place near the Seohyeon subway station in Seongnam, near Seoul.
• CCTV footage captured the suspect lurking in a busy shopping mall with a long blade.

A man went on a “stabbing rampage” near a South Korean subway station, killing one person and injuring at least 13 people after running over three people with a car, according to South Korean media.

The attack took place near the Seohyeon subway station in Seongnam, about 20 kilometers (12 miles) southeast of Seoul, a National Police Agency official said.

CCTV footage of the incident shows the suspect stalking through the busy department store connected to the station, wearing a dark jacket and brandishing a long sword, before lunging at passers-by.

Unverified footage from Thursday’s attack showed drops of blood staining the workshop floor and at least one emergency medical helicopter arriving on the scene.

Other clips showed how some citizens desperately tried to stop the bleeding of the victims who were lying on the ground after the wave of violence.

Previous images showed a man with short dark hair and glasses holding what appeared to be a blade riding an escalator. But in the security camera footage, the perpetrator appeared to be wearing a hood.

The suspect, who was arrested at the scene according to authorities, is believed to have purchased the hoodie at the department store before the attack.

Police said the motive for the stabbings was not immediately clear.

In response to the attack, the National Police Agency said it would hold an online meeting with regional police chiefs to discuss ways to deal with stabbings and other attacks against random targets.

It comes a fortnight after one person was killed and three injured in another stabbing incident in the South Korean capital on July 21.

South Korea is usually an extremely safe country, with a homicide rate of 1.3 per 100,000 people in 2021, according to official statistics.

By comparison, the United States has 7.8 homicide deaths per 100,000 population, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Bundang, a prosperous satellite city of Seoul, generally has a reputation for safe streets and residential neighborhoods, but the two stabbings raised concerns online.

“The attack (near) Seohyeon station is really scary,” wrote one on Twitter, renamed X.

‘How can we feel safe and comfortable coming out with incidents like this?’