SEOUL – A man in his 60s was detained on Oct 26 after fatally stabbing a restaurant owner and injuring her husband in Gangbuk-gu, northern Seoul, following a dispute over a 1,000 won (S$0.90) promotional lottery ticket, police said.
According to Gangbuk Police Station, the suspect attacked the couple who ran the restaurant, also in their 60s, at around 2pm local time after they refused to give him a lottery ticket intended for customers paying in cash.
The restaurant, which opened in July, had been distributing the tickets as part of a promotion. The suspect reportedly visited the restaurant on Oct 25 and paid with a credit card, but was told that only cash payments were eligible.
He returned the next day and paid in cash, but the owners again declined to give him a ticket, explaining that the tickets were not issued on Sundays, as the lottery draw had taken place the day prior.
Enraged, the suspect allegedly pulled out a knife from his pocket and stabbed both owners. Security footage showed the couple fleeing the restaurant as the man chased after them with the knife. A bystander intervened and kicked the weapon out of the suspect’s hand.
The victims were rushed to nearby hospitals, where they underwent emergency surgeries. The wife was pronounced dead on Oct 27 morning, while her husband remains in critical condition. Witnesses told local media that the suspect appeared to be intoxicated at the time of the attack.
Police were expected to request an arrest warrant for the suspect later on Oct 27 on charges of murder and attempted murder. THE KOREA HERALD/ASIA NEWS NETWORK
