South Korea: Police detain a suspect in 2nd stabbing attack in two days

South Korean police detained a man suspected of stabbing a high school teacher with a knife Friday in the city of Daejeon reported news agency AP The stabbing follows a separate apparently random attack on Thursday in which 14 people were wounded near a busy subway station in SeongnamOfficials at the Daejeon Metropolitan Police Agency didnt immediately release the personal details of the suspect in the Friday morning attack on the teacher at Songchon High School describing him only as a man in his 20s or 30s According to police the suspect waited for the teacher to step out of a classroom before stabbing him and fleeing the scene which according to officials suggests they were acquaintancesPolice and fire department authorities did not specify the teachers health condition The attack in Daejeon about 120 kilometres south of Seongnam came hours after President Yoon Suk Yeol called for ultrastrong law enforcement measures to restore faith in public safety after Thursdays violence which he described as a terrorist attack on innocent citizensAt least two people were in lifethreatening conditions after Thursdays attack in Seongnam in which a car rammed onto a sidewalk before the driver stepped out and began stabbing people at random at a shopping mall linked to the Seohyeon subway station at the heart of a bustling leisure and business districtAmong the five people who were hurt by the car at least two were hospitalized in critical condition Among the nine who were stabbed eight were being treated for serious injuries according to Gyeonggi Province fire department officialsPolice are questioning the 22yearold suspect They did not identify the suspect or offer any immediate information about a potential motive During police interviews the suspect talked incoherently and said he was being stalked by an unspecified source said Park Gyeongwon an official at Gyeonggis Bundang district police stationThe suspect purchased the two knives he used in the stabbings from a different shopping mall on Wednesday Park said but there isnt clear evidence he planned the attack in advance Photos from the scene showed forensic units examining the halls of the AK Plaza where the attack took place Thursday A white Kia hatchback with a broken front window and ruptured front tire could be seen on a sidewalk near the subway stationA witness named Hwang Heewoon told YTN television that he heard a sound from the first floor that seemed like a scream so customers and shop workers were gathering on the rails of the second floor near the escalator to see what was happening below Suddenly someone told us the person who committed the crime was coming up to the second floor so we ran away in panic he said He ended up hiding inside a refrigerated storage room with some mall employeesThursdays attack was the countrys second massstabbing case involving random targets in a monthIn July a knifewielding man stabbed at least four pedestrians on a street in the capital Seoul killing one person Attacks by firearms are rare in South Korea which tightly controls gun possession but there arent meaningful restrictions applying to knives including kitchen tools that are often used for attacksIn response to Thursdays attack Yoon called for closer monitoring of social media to detect threats deploying more law enforcement officers for prevention and equipping them with better suppression gear according to Seouls presidential officeThe National Police Agency held an online meeting Thursday with regional police chiefs to discuss ways to deal with stabbings and other attacks against random targets Officials discussed increasing nighttime patrols in leisure districts and other crowded areas and strengthening security camera surveillance according to the agencyAP