Threats Continued Against Citizens After Fleeing School
Additional Weapons Found in Bag
Police Investigate Attempted Murder Charges
On the 28th, at a high school in Cheongju, a student classified as requiring special education went on a rampage with a knife, injuring six people including the principal. It has been revealed that, during the student's escape, even citizens outside the school were harmed.
On this day, Yonhap News reported an interview with Lim (43), who suffered facial injuries from the knife wielded by the student. Lim recalled, "I was driving slowly at about 20 km/h on the road in front of the school to drop off my two children at kindergarten when a student, dressed in sportswear, suddenly ran quickly between the slowly moving cars."
Police and others are assessing the situation at a high school in Cheongju where a student knife attack occurred on the 28th. Photo by Yonhap News
Lim said, "Because it was school arrival time, there was severe congestion on the road in front of the school. The student tapped on the rear passenger window of my car. Wondering what was happening, I rolled down the window, and the student approached, stared at me for one or two seconds without saying anything, then stabbed my face and ran away."
He continued, "I got out of the car and saw the student running away. About 15 meters away, I witnessed the student struggling with other parents who were dropping off their children. Since I couldn't keep my car in the middle of the road, I moved it, then returned to the scene holding my bleeding face, but by then the student had already fled, leaving his phone and knife on the ground." After being threatened, Lim gave up on dropping off his child and returned home together.
Earlier that morning, at 8:41 a.m., an incident occurred in a classroom at a high school in downtown Cheongju, where an 18-year-old student classified as requiring special education, referred to as Student A, went on a rampage with a knife. Six staff members, including the principal, a facilities worker, and an administrative officer, suffered injuries to their chest and abdomen and were transported to the hospital.
On the 28th, fire authorities and others are assessing the situation at a high school in Cheongju where a student knife rampage occurred. Photo by Yonhap News
It has been reported that Student A, after having a conversation with a counseling teacher in the special education classroom, came out into the hallway and attacked school staff he encountered with a knife. The counseling teacher who was speaking with Student A was also severely shocked, experienced symptoms of shortness of breath, and is receiving treatment at the hospital.
After escaping from the school, Student A wandered outside and harmed two citizens he encountered, then jumped into a reservoir in a nearby park before being rescued by emergency responders.
Initially, the student was reported as belonging to a special education class, but it was later confirmed that he was a special education student integrated into a regular class. The student himself was also injured during the incident, received treatment at the hospital, and is currently being held in a police detention cell. Multiple knives were found in his bag, and authorities plan to focus their investigation on whether the crime was premeditated.
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.
