Stabbing rampage suspect identified

Police disclosed the personal information of the suspect in a deadly stabbing rampage that killed one person and injured three in Seoul as 33-year-old Cho Sun, Wednesday.

The Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency held a Personal Information Disclosure Committee to discuss whether to reveal the information of the suspect and decided to unveil the identity of the man, who was arrested on charges of murder and attempted murder.

"The cruelty of the crimes is recognized in light of the fact that the suspect used a weapon to kill or try to kill multiple victims in an open place where multiple people come and go," the committee said.

“There is sufficient evidence of crime, such as the suspect's confession, surveillance camera footage and witness statements. Also, considering the anxiety of people caused by the crime, it is in the public interest to disclose the suspect's personal information,” the committee explained.

The Personal Information Disclosure Committee consists of three internal members of the police and four external experts. Considering the cruelty of the crime, the possibility of recidivism and the public’s right to know, the committee is convened to decide whether to reveal the information of a suspected criminal.

Cho stabbed a man in his 20s to death near Sillim Station on Seoul Metro's Line No. 2 in Gwanak-gu, southern Seoul, at 2:07 p.m. Friday, and also injured three men in their 30s. He was caught at the scene immediately after the crime and was arrested Sunday on several charges, including murder.

Analysis of Cho's mobile phone confirmed that the device was initialized at around 5 p.m. a day before the crime, and that the computer the suspect used at home had also been broken with a blunt object ahead of the crime, which police believe is evidence of him trying to erase traces of the planned crime.

Police initially tried to conduct a psychopathic diagnostic test on Cho on Tuesday, but failed to proceed as he refused. Police tried again Wednesday, with the result yet to be disclosed. Cho has not been treated for mental illness in the past five years, but he has a long criminal record, with 14 offenses as a minor and three as an adult.