Three individuals assaulted violently in a South Korean school by means of a knife-wielding student.
On Thursday in Cheongju, a South Korean high school saw a shocking incident when an 18-year-old student whipped out a blade and caused chaos. The attack transpired at around 8:36 a.m., sending shivers down the spines of folks a hundred kilometers south of Seoul.
According to the Cheungbuk Provincial Police Agency, the disturbing scenario unfolded when someone reported a student wielding a knife in a classroom. Three individuals took some heavy hits – the school principal who experienced a stomach wound, a government employee with a chest injury, and the school's janitor. Two others were left with minor scratches.
Determined to evade the law, the culprit made a desperate bid for freedom, scrambling towards a nearby lakeside park. He plunged into the water but was none too clever, as he was swiftly nabbed by the Cheongju police force within mere thirteen minutes following the alarm. Fortunately, the student was just as hurt as his victims, having sustained minor injuries himself.
Investigators are currently piecing together the details and tying up the motives behind this grim episode. The student confessed that his dissatisfaction with his academic life stemmed from stress, coupled with concerns over his family’s financial wellbeing, which had been building over time. Worth mentioning is that this incident follows a gruesome case that occurred several months earlier, involving a teacher in South Korea who violently took the life of an eight-year-old student.
South Korea is generally seen as a safe nation, boasting a murder rate of 1.3 per 100,000 people in 2021 – a figure below the global average of six deaths per 100,000 people. However, these recent events seem to be giving pause even to the most ardent optimists.
- The South Korean high school student who caused chaos with a knife in a classroom on Thursday in Cheongju was later apprehended by the Cheongju police force.
- According to the Cheungbuk Provincial Police Agency, three individuals were stabbed during the incident, including the school principal, a government employee, and the school's janitor.
- The general-news outlets and crime-and-justice reports have been abuzz with statistics highlighting an increase in such incidents in South Korea, despite the country's relatively low murder rate compared to the global average.
