Jeju Island Knife Possession Incident: Suspect Released Due to Dismissal of Arrest Warrant

A 40-year-old suspect, who was caught chasing a pedestrian with a 28cm knife on the streets of Jeju Island, has been released due to the prosecution's dismissal of the arrest warrant.

On the 11th, the Jeju District Prosecutors' Office and the Seogwipo Police Station announced that the prosecution had dismissed the arrest warrant requested for the suspect, referred to as A, on the previous day, the 10th.

A is accused of possessing a knife and instilling fear in citizens around 2:32 AM on the 9th in a road located in Seohong-dong, Seogwipo City.

At that time, a pedestrian reported that "someone is chasing me with a knife," and the police, who were dispatched, apprehended A as a flagrant offender about 40 meters away from the informer.

With the dismissal of the arrest warrant by the prosecution, the police are currently conducting a non-custodial investigation on A. The Jeju District Prosecutors' Office explained, "We cannot disclose the reasons for the dismissal as it is an ongoing investigation."

The knife possessed by A was confirmed to be approximately 28cm in total length, with a blade length of about 14cm, and the police have confiscated the weapon.

A reportedly stated during the police investigation, "I thought the informer was glaring at me, so I chased after them with a knife."

Meanwhile, according to the crime of possession of a knife in public places (Article 116-3 of the Criminal Act), anyone who possesses a knife in a public place such as a road or park without justifiable reason and openly displays it, causing anxiety or fear to the public, shall be punished with imprisonment for up to three years or a fine of up to 10 million won.

Image source: Provided by Jeju Police Agency, reference photo for understanding of the article / gettyimagesbank