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Korea Herald
23-05-2025
- Korea Herald
Suspect accused of killing 2, injuring 2 others to undergo psychopathy test
A suspect accused of killing two people and injuring two others will undergo a psychopathy diagnosis test, after his formal arrest earlier this week, police said Thursday. Cha Cheol-nam, a Chinese national of Korean ethnicity, is accused of killing two brothers of the same Chinese-Korean background in Siheung, just southwest of Seoul, on Saturday before stabbing a convenience store owner and his landlord in separate incidents on Monday. The Gyeonggi Nambu Provincial Police's scientific investigation team assigned four criminal profilers to the case to analyze the 56-year-old and determine his motive. Police plan to conduct the psychopathy test on Cha to check if he has characteristics of a psychopath. The test is scored out of 40 points, and subjects are usually determined to be psychopaths in South Korea if they score over 25 points. Cha was apprehended by police Monday evening and claimed he premeditated the brothers' murder for not repaying him a loan of 30 million won ($21,500). A local district court issued a warrant to extend his detention Wednesday. After holding a meeting of the identity disclosure review committee on Thursday, police decided to make the suspect's personal information and mug shots public "in consideration of the seriousness of the crime and the public interest." His name, nationality and other information had already been made public following a wanted notice issued on the day of the stabbing incident. The released mug shots were taken after his arrest, officials said. (Yonhap)
Korea Herald
22-05-2025
- Korea Herald
Police consider mugshot release for suspect of Siheung murders
A police committee will decide whether to reveal the mugshot of the Chinese national accused of double homicide and two additional attempted murders, Gyeonggi provincial police said Thursday. According to the Gyeonggi Nambu Provincial Police, the Deliberative Committee on Disclosure of Personal Information will convene to discuss releasing the personal information of Cha Cheol-nam, the 56-year-old arrested for the recent attacks in Siheung, Gyeonggi Province. He has admitted to all charges. Cha's photo, date of birth and nationality had already been made public through wanted posters during Monday's manhunt, which followed his double homicide and non-fatal attacks on two additional individuals. However, a law-based release of information would allow his details to remain posted on the police website for 30 days. In contrast, the distribution of wanted posters is restricted once a suspect has been apprehended. The mugshot will also reveal the most recent image of Cha, whereas the wanted poster used a previously available photo. South Korean law states that in particularly atrocious cases of certain crimes including murder, violent crime rings, sex crimes, insurrection, drug crimes and offenses against minors, the police committee can decide whether to publicly disclose the suspect's name, age and a photo taken within 30 days, usually mugshots of the suspect. Cha is believed to have killed two men, Chinese nationals whom he had been acquainted with, last Saturday with blunt objects after. Cha on Monday told reporters that he had killed the victims as they had allegedly not paid him back for money they loaned. Also on Monday, Cha attacked a convenience store owner with a knife in the morning and attacked the landlord of his residence in the evening. He claimed that he had attacked the landlord because the victim looked down on him, and the store owner because she talked about him behind his back.
Korea Herald
25-03-2025
- Politics
- Korea Herald
Farmers on tractors, trucks march on Seoul, calling for Yoon Suk Yeol's impeachment
A convoy of tractors and trucks rolled into southern Seoul on Tuesday, as members of the Korean Peasants League held a protest calling for the impeachment of suspended President Yoon Suk Yeol. The protest was scheduled to begin at 2 p.m. at Namtaeryeong Pass in Seocho-gu, southern Seoul, where members of the Korean Peasants League — many of them farmers from rural provinces — gathered with flags and banners, chanting slogans demanding Yoon's immediate removal. The group announced plans to march toward Gwanghwamun in central Seoul, but was blocked by police at the pass, resulting in a standoff between protesters and police on the southern edge of Seoul as they entered from surrounding Gyeonggi Province. By Tuesday afternoon, traffic near Namtaeryeong began to slow, with farm vehicles and heavy trucks stuck on the roads, causing significant congestion along major routes in the area. The use of tractors in the protest, in particular, was a central point of dispute between the group and authorities. Earlier on Sunday, the Seoul Metropolitan Police announced it had issued a ban on the use of tractors in their march, citing concerns over public safety and traffic congestion. In response, the group filed for an injunction against the ban, and the court accepted their request — allowing up to 20 trucks through between 10 a.m. and 5 p.m., but explicitly prohibiting tractors from entering the city. However, the Korean Peasants League criticized the decision as an excessive infringement of the freedom of assembly and moved ahead with both trucks and tractors as planned, defying the court's partial restriction. To maintain public order and prevent clashes between opposing protest groups, the Seoul Metropolitan Police also mobilized 27 mobile police squad units — totaling some 1,700 officers — with additional support from nine units dispatched by the Gyeonggi Nambu Provincial Police. 'The police will guarantee the freedom of assembly to the fullest extent within the boundaries permitted by the court,' the Seoul police said in a statement. 'However, any actions that go beyond what has been allowed will be met with strict enforcement based on law and principle.' According to official protest notices filed with the police, around 2,000 protesters calling for Yoon's impeachment and 3,000 opposing it were expected to participate in rallies throughout the day. Tuesday's rally marked the Korean Peasants League's second tractor-led protest in recent months. In late December, the group attempted to march to the presidential residence in Hannam-dong in a convoy of about 30 tractors, resulting in a 28-hour standoff with police at Namtaeryeong. Many people flocked to the site in the middle of the night to show solidarity with the farmers against what they said was an unfair use of the police's authority to protect the president, and they eventually marched to Hannam-dong. However, several leaders of the protest were later booked for investigation. With the Constitutional Court expected to deliver its ruling on Yoon's impeachment later this week or early next week, demonstrations from both sides are anticipated to remain intense at least until the verdict is announced.
