At least 13 wounded in stabbing rampage, vehicle attack near Seoul: police

At least 13 people were injured in South Korea on Thursday when a man rammed a car onto a sidewalk and then stepped out of the vehicle and began stabbing people inside a nearby shopping mall near in the city of Seongnam.

Yoon Sung-hyun, an official from the southern Gyeonggi provincial police department, said at least nine people were stabbed and four others were injured by the vehicle in the attacks that occurred in a crowded leisure district near a subway station. Police did not confirm whether any were in serious condition.

The police apprehended the suspect, in his 20s, just 10 minutes after receiving reports at around 5.55 pm that a man was stabbing people at the department store adjacent to the Seohyeon subway station.

The suspect is employed in the delivery industry, according to sources.

According to witnesses at the scene, the suspect wore a black outfit and sunglasses, and brandished a knife estimated to be around 50 to 60 centimeters long. The suspect entered the department store after his car did not move, they added.

Photos from the scene showed forensic units examining the halls of the AK Plaza, where the stabbings took place. A white Kia hatchback with a broken front window and ruptured front tire could be seen on a sidewalk near the Seohyeon subway station.

While some witnesses claimed there was more than one offender, the police concluded that there were no accomplices. The suspect is remaining silent, including about his motive, the police added.

On July 21, a 33-year-old man named Cho Seon also fatally stabbed a complete stranger in his 20s near Seoul's Sillim Station and then attacked three other men in a nearby alleyway.

Cho was formally arrested two days later on charges of murder and attempted murder.

(Yonhap and AP)