A Korean man in his 20s took his ex-girlfriend’s new boyfriend hostage for five hours while brandishing a knife, before giving in to the police on Monday.

Incheon Namdong Police Station said the perpetrator, whose identity has been withheld, waited for his former girlfriend in front of her studio apartment in Ganseok-dong, Namdong-gu, from as early as 8 a.m. 

When the woman saw the man who had been waiting in front of her door, she pushed past him and ran next door for shelter.

Concerned for the safety of her current boyfriend, who was inside the apartment, the door to which was now ajar, the woman alerted the police.

More than 40 police officers, including a special response unit, attended the scene.

The two men had fought physically in the apartment, during which a glass bowl was shattered and blood was spilt.

The soured former-lover threatened to hurt the woman’s new boyfriend and take his own life. During the standoff, the man demanded cigarettes and asked the crowd to stay quiet.

The situation dragged on for five hours before finally surrendering.

He said he committed the crime on impulse and that he did not plan to carry out the threats.

Police plan to hold the suspect in custody until an arrest warrant is issued.

By Lim Jeong-yeo (kaylalim@heraldcorp.com)