Only 10.3 percent of the individuals investigated for possessing illegal weapons in public areas have been placed under detention, National Police Agency data showed Friday, raising concerns over law enforcement's capacity to prevent incidents like last month's stabbing spree in Incheon.
Since the Criminal Act clause was implemented on April 8, 2025, the number of people accused of possessing illegal weapons in public has reached 1,164 as of August. Of these cases, only 120 were formally arrested.
Another 84.7 percent were investigated without physical detention. In 1.6 percent of cases, the prosecution decided not to request a warrant despite police suggestions. The remaining 3.4 percent involved cases in which prosecutors' requests for arrest warrants were rejected by the court.
Under Article 116-3 of the Criminal Act, the act of possessing a weapon in public and causing anxiety and fear by showing it is subject to up to three years in prison, or a 10 million won ($7,350) fine. But questions have been raised over how effective the new legal clause was, particularly as several individuals investigated for illegal weapon possession ended up committing violent crimes in recent months.
It was reported recently that Choi Choong-rak, a 59-year-old man responsible for a stabbing spree in Incheon on Oct. 13, was investigated by police for possessing a weapon in public just 34 days before the attack. The revelation raised questions about whether the local law enforcement missed the chance to prevent the bloody incident, which left eight people injured.
The 19-year-old woman who suffered cardiac arrest from Choi's attack remains unconscious as of Friday.
minsikyoon@heraldcorp.com
