Shaman Arrested for Strangling Stranger with Disability in Downtown Park

"An Evil Spirit Was Flying Toward Me," Says Attacker in Unprovoked Assault
Harsher Punishment Inevitable Due to Repeat Offender Status

A shaman in his 20s has been arrested by police after strangling and rendering unconscious a man in his 60s with a disability, whom he did not know, in a park in downtown Gwangju.

On June 9, Gwangju Seobu Police Station announced that they had detained Mr. A (in his 20s) on charges of assault and related offenses for attacking and strangling a disabled person in the park.

Front view of Gwangju Western Police Station.

According to the police, at around 4:00 p.m. on June 6, Mr. A approached Mr. B, a man in his 60s with a disability, in a park in Hwajeong-dong, Seo-gu, Gwangju, and strangled him until he lost consciousness. The police arrived at the scene after a bystander promptly reported the incident, and arrested Mr. A in the act. Fortunately, the victim, Mr. B, who had fainted from the sudden assault, quickly regained consciousness at the scene.

The police investigation found that Mr. A, who resides in another region, had come to Gwangju to meet an acquaintance, and committed the crime against Mr. B after encountering him in the park.

Mr. A, who was confirmed to be a shaman, reportedly gave a rather bizarre statement during the police investigation, saying, "I saw something above the victim's head. I committed the crime because an evil spirit was flying towards me."

The police took into account the fact that Mr. A committed this offense during a repeat offender period due to previous similar convictions, as well as the seriousness of the incident and the risk of reoffending, and applied for a detention warrant. Gwangju District Court swiftly issued the warrant for Mr. A on June 8.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.