20s Soldier Arrested for Fleeing After Stabbing Unknown Woman with Bladed Weapon

Attempted Murder and Attempted Special Rape Charges

An active-duty soldier who assaulted a woman he had never met before, attacked her with a weapon, and then fled has been detained.

Daejeon Police Agency building. Photo by Yonhap News

According to the Daejeon Metropolitan Police Agency on the 11th, the Daejeon District Court issued an arrest warrant the previous day for active-duty soldier A (in his 20s), who is charged with attempted murder and attempted special rape, citing concerns over flight risk.

A is accused of attempting to sexually assault a woman in the women's restroom of a building in Jung-gu, Daejeon, around 3:30 p.m. on the 8th, and when the attempt failed, attacking her with a weapon and fleeing.

The victim, who sustained a head injury, was taken to a hospital and underwent emergency surgery, but her life is not in danger. Police who responded to the report found A near the rooftop of a nearby apartment and arrested him on the spot. They also recovered one weapon that A had abandoned near the crime scene.

Investigations revealed that A and the victim were strangers, and he followed her into the restroom to commit the crime. It was confirmed that the weapon had been purchased and brought in advance.

A is an active-duty soldier on leave, and the day of the incident was the day he was supposed to return to his military unit. It appears there was no specific motive for the crime. The police plan to continue detailed investigations, including criminal psychological analysis, regarding the circumstances of the crime.