Choi Wonjong, "Bundang Bladed Weapon Rampage" Perpetrator, Ordered to Pay 440 Million Won in Damages to Victims' Families

Victim Struck by Car Driven Onto Sidewalk
Court Dismisses Compensation Claim Against Choi's Parents

The court has ruled that Choi Wonjong, the so-called "Bundang Bladed Weapon Rampage" perpetrator who killed two citizens and injured twelve others in Bundang-gu, Seongnam-si, Gyeonggi Province in 2023, must compensate the victims' families.

According to Yonhap News on the 16th, the 3rd Civil Division of the Seongnam Branch of Suwon District Court (Presiding Judge Song Inkwon) partially ruled in favor of the plaintiff in a damages lawsuit filed by the family of the late Kim Hyebin (who was 20 years old at the time), ordering Choi to pay approximately 440 million won to Kim's family. The family had sued Choi and his parents for over 880 million won in damages. The court did not specify the reasons for its decision in court, and dismissed the claim for damages against Choi's parents.

Suspect Choi Wonjong in the Bundang Bladed Weapon Rampage Case is being transferred to the prosecution. Yonhap News Agency

The attorney representing the bereaved family stated, "Choi showed signs of crisis such as paranoid delusions, and we held his parents civilly liable for failing to take appropriate action as guardians, but the court did not recognize this. We will appeal the decision."

On August 3, 2023, Choi drove his car onto the sidewalk near Seohyeon Station on the Suin-Bundang Line, which is connected to the AK Plaza Bundang branch, hitting five people. After getting out of the car, he entered the department store and attacked nine more people with a bladed weapon, resulting in a total of fourteen casualties, either dead or injured. Among the victims, Kim and Lee Heenam (who was 65 at the time), both struck by Choi's car, died while receiving treatment. Choi was sentenced to life imprisonment in both the first and second trials, and the life sentence was finalized in November 2024.

Kim's family filed a damages lawsuit in May of last year, seeking to hold Choi not only criminally but also civilly liable. The family cited Choi's paranoid delusions, his purchase and possession of a bladed weapon, and the failure of his parents to take appropriate action in response to these warning signs as reasons for also suing his parents.