Amid criticism over the police's delayed response to an attempted child abduction incident near an elementary school in Seodaemun-gu, Seoul, the police explained, "At the time of the initial report, the victimized child could not clearly recall the situation, and there was a significant discrepancy between the vehicle described in the statement and the actual vehicle involved."
On the 5th, Lee Daewoo, head of the Criminal Division at the Seodaemun Police Station in Seoul, stated during a briefing, "Regarding the incident initially reported on August 30, a review of the CCTV footage only captured the victimized child passing by, and we could not identify any gestures by the suspects related to the alleged crime. Although we showed the CCTV footage to the victim and their guardian, they were unable to clearly recognize the situation at that time."
However, on September 2, after a second incident with a similar method was reported, the situation changed. This time, the CCTV footage clearly captured two children running away in fear as a man approached them from a vehicle. The police subsequently expanded their investigation and discovered that there had been a total of three attempted luring incidents using the same method. Although the elementary school of the victims had already sent a notice to parents on September 1 urging caution to prevent abductions, the police countered by stating, "There was no confirmed connection to abduction or other crimes at that time."
The police acknowledged that confusion in the investigation arose because the vehicle reported in the initial call differed from the actual vehicle used in the crime. The initial report described the suspect vehicle as a "white Starex," but it was later confirmed that the actual vehicle was a gray Sorento.
Previously, the police announced that they had urgently arrested three men in their 20s on suspicion of attempted luring of minors and had applied for arrest warrants for two of them. According to the police, the suspects are accused of attempting to lure four elementary school students on three occasions between 3:31 p.m. and 3:36 p.m. on August 28, near an elementary school and a nearby public parking lot in Hongeun-dong, Seodaemun-gu, as the children were on their way home.
After finishing a meal at a Chinese restaurant, the suspects approached the victims from their vehicle, saying things like "You're cute" and "We'll give you a ride home." However, all attempts failed as the students left the scene. The suspects are said to have been friends since middle school, with one of them currently a university student. None of them have prior criminal records related to similar offenses or sex crimes.
The police are conducting further investigations, including forensic analysis of mobile phones, to determine the suspects' motives and whether the crime was premeditated. A police official emphasized, "Attempted luring of minors can be established as a crime even if the child was not actually taken, as long as there was an intent to lure through deception. We will strengthen patrols around elementary schools and respond swiftly and strictly to similar crimes."
Meanwhile, the pre-arrest interrogation (warrant review) for the two suspects for whom arrest warrants were requested was held at 10:30 a.m. on this day at the Seoul Western District Court. The suspects did not answer reporters' questions such as "Did you actually intend to abduct the children?" and proceeded directly to the courtroom. The police stated that they did not apply for an arrest warrant for the remaining accomplice, as evidence showed this individual tried to stop the crime. This suspect reportedly said, "This kind of behavior could be a problem," and attempted to dissuade the others from committing the act.
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