Police in Incheon have applied for an arrest warrant for a 59-year-old man accused of attacking people with knives inside a large commercial complex in Guwol-dong, bringing the investigation into its next stage as authorities examine whether warning signs were missed. The attack began at about 1:48 p.m. on October 13 across the buildingโ€™s second and third floors, according to police accounts reported by local media. Investigators are treating the case as attempted murder and are also applying a charge related to possessing a weapon in a public place.

Ten people were attacked or confronted during the incident, according to the latest police accounting. Eight were taken to hospitals, while two men who were not injured left voluntarily. A 19-year-old woman who arrived at a hospital in cardiac arrest underwent emergency surgery and was recovering but remained unconscious in the latest cited report. Seven other injured people, men and women in their 20s through 50s, were reported to be out of life-threatening danger.

Incident
Knife attack at a large commercial complex in Guwol-dong, Incheon
Time
About 1:48 p.m. on October 13, 2026
Impact
Eight people hospitalized, including one 19-year-old woman reported unconscious
Legal step
Police applied for the suspectโ€™s arrest warrant on October 14

The suspect, identified by his surname Choi in media reports, was subdued by people at the scene before officers arrested him in the act. Police applied for his arrest warrant on October 14. The timing of the court hearing could change if prosecutors interview or question him before formally seeking the warrant, police said. The warrant process will determine whether he remains detained while investigators continue reconstructing his movements, preparation and choice of victims.

Investigators are focusing on an alleged motive that combines a personal grievance with a desire for public attention. Police and media reports said Choi had complained that treatment for a skin condition had not resolved his symptoms and had sought compensation from a hospital. He allegedly told investigators that he wanted to make his grievance a social issue. Reports also said he described choosing people he considered physically weaker, a statement that has intensified scrutiny of whether the victims were deliberately selected rather than encountered at random.

Investigators examine motive and preparation

The inquiry is also testing whether the attack was planned in advance. Police are examining the suspectโ€™s preparations and questioning him about how and when he decided to carry weapons into the commercial facility. The available evidence does not yet establish a final account of premeditation, and the allegations remain subject to investigation and court proceedings. Even so, his reported statements about attracting attention and selecting vulnerable targets give investigators specific grounds to examine planning rather than treating the episode only as a spontaneous outburst.

A separate line of scrutiny concerns earlier contacts with police. The Maeil Shinmun reported that the suspect had been reported six times over roughly two months for matters including interference with business and possession of a weapon while protesting outside a hospital. He had reportedly been demonstrating there since August 19 after a compensation demand was rejected. Authorities now face questions about what officers observed during those calls, what legal or operational steps were available, and whether the incidents collectively indicated an escalating risk.

The case has also exposed concerns about supervision because the suspect was wearing an electronic monitoring device and had a prior attempted murder conviction, according to the cited reports. Electronic monitoring can track a personโ€™s location, but the attack has prompted a broader review of whether location data, earlier complaints and risk information were connected effectively. The central policy question is not simply whether monitoring operated technically, but whether the supervision system could identify mounting danger and trigger timely intervention.

Electronic monitoring comes under review

President Lee Jae Myung visited the Incheon Metropolitan Police Agency on the evening of October 13 after returning from events in Busan. According to a presidential office briefing, he received reports on the circumstances, the investigation and the victimsโ€™ conditions. He ordered a swift and rigorous investigation, emphasized treatment, recovery and protection for victims, and called for effective measures to prevent similar violent crimes. He also directed authorities to inspect the overall management and supervision system for people wearing electronic monitoring devices and to develop fundamental improvements where problems are found.

The immediate focus remains the victimsโ€™ recovery, the courtโ€™s handling of detention and the police reconstruction of the suspectโ€™s intent. Beyond the criminal case, investigators and oversight authorities will need to establish how the six reported police contacts were handled and whether information was shared with agencies responsible for electronic monitoring. Those findings will determine whether the incident leads only to prosecution of one suspect or to changes in how repeated warning signals involving monitored offenders are assessed and acted upon.