Slasher Charged With Attempted Murder

On May 23, Ji Chung-ho (50), who slashed the face of Park Geun-hye, the chairwoman of the Grand National Party (GNP) with a box-cutter, was arrested and detained on charges of attempted murder and violation of the election law.

Ji said during the warrant substance examination held in the Seoul Western District Court on the day, “At first, I considered attacking Oh Se-hun, the mayoral candidate of the GNP.”

The police-prosecution joint investigation center probing this case said, “One of Ji’s friends, only identified by his surname Jeong, said that Ji told him three to four days before the attack that he would ‘slash Oh Se-hun.’”

The investigation center is now tracing the financial source of Ji as people who know him have witnessed Ji lavishly spending money – buying an expensive DMB handset and paying 150,000 to 180,000 won for the monthly service fee – although he has no other official source of income except for the government’s monthly living allowance of 180,000 won.

Meanwhile, the request for an arrest warrant for Park (54), who caused a commotion after chairwoman Park was attacked, was dismissed.