Suspect in 'Shillim Station Stabbing' Case, 33-Year-Old Chosun, Identity Revealed... "Crime Was Brutal" (Comprehensive)

"Severe Damage and Sufficient Evidence"

On the 21st, the personal information of Cho Seon (33), who wielded a weapon near Sillim Station in Gwanak-gu, Seoul, causing four casualties, was disclosed.

[Photo by Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency]

The Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency held a personal information disclosure committee on the afternoon of the 26th and decided to reveal Cho's name, age, photo, and other personal details.

The committee stated, "Considering that Cho used a weapon in a public place frequented by many people to kill or attempt to kill multiple victims, the brutality of the crime and the severity of the damage are recognized," and added, "There is sufficient evidence of the crime, including Cho's confession, CCTV footage from the scene, and witness statements. Taking into account public anxiety caused by the crime and the preventive effect against similar crimes, we decided to disclose his personal information."

The Special Act on the Punishment of Specific Violent Crimes stipulates that personal information of a suspect can be disclosed if ▲ the means of the crime are brutal and serious damage has occurred ▲ there is sufficient evidence to believe the suspect committed the crime ▲ it is necessary for the public interest ▲ and the suspect is not a juvenile.

Cho is accused of wielding a weapon against men in their 20s and 30s, whom he did not know, near Sillim Station at around 2 p.m. on the 21st. As a result, one man in his 20s died, and three men in their 30s were injured.

The police believe Cho committed the crime deliberately. On the day of the crime, at 12:03 p.m., he took a taxi from his residence in Incheon to his grandmother's house in Geumcheon-gu, Seoul. Then, at around 1:57 p.m., he stole two weapons from a mart near his grandmother's house and took a taxi to Sillim Station.

There is also evidence that he tried to erase records related to the incident before the crime. According to the police forensic results, Cho reset his iPhone XS, his mobile phone, on the day before the crime, the 20th. The police stated, "Browser records on the phone were confirmed from 5:58 p.m. on the 20th, but no search records, call logs, messages, or photos related to the incident were found." Cho also destroyed his usual computer with a hammer, and the police are conducting forensic work on it.

The police conducted a psychopathy diagnosis test on Cho from 10:50 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. that day. Although the police requested the psychopathy test the previous day, Cho repeatedly agreed and refused, eventually refusing the test altogether, citing "complex emotions." After police persuasion, Cho changed his mind and underwent the test that day. Additionally, the police confirmed through the National Health Insurance Service that Cho had no history of psychiatric treatment from 2013 until July 21.