"Students Have Been Stabbed... Please Hurry": Bystanders Give First Aid After Reporting Knife Attack

Helped Victim Ms. A in Incheon Knife Attack
Administered First Aid Following Dispatcher’s Instructions

Transcripts have revealed the tense efforts by members of the public to help victims who were injured during the knife attack in Incheon.

On October 16, Yonhap News Agency reported these details, citing materials obtained that day by the office of Yoon Geon-young, a lawmaker from the Democratic Party of Korea, including a document titled “Transcript of Emergency Calls Regarding the Incheon Knife Attack.”

The transcripts contain emergency calls received during the knife attack on October 13 at 1:49 p.m. The first caller reported, “There’s a knife attack happening right now at 000 in Guwol-dong,” and said, “Someone has been stabbed. Students have been stabbed. Please hurry. Please.”

A man in his 50s went on a knife rampage at a large commercial complex in Namdong-gu, Incheon, on the afternoon of the 13th, injuring eight visitors. The photo shows the restaurant area on the building's second floor as investigators examine the scene. Yonhap News Agency

When the call-taker repeatedly urged the caller to stay calm, the caller replied, “The victims are inside our office.” The caller and the others with them were reportedly in the second-floor restaurant area at the time. They are said to have locked the door to prevent the suspect from entering after 19-year-old Ms. A, who had been stabbed, took refuge in their office.

At the direction of an emergency medical dispatcher, the caller laid Ms. A down with her injured area facing upward and began applying pressure to stop the bleeding. In a desperate plea for help, the caller repeatedly said, “She’s losing too much blood” and “How long will it take?”

Fire authorities arrived at the scene 13 minutes after receiving the call. Ms. A was taken to a hospital while receiving cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), but she has not yet regained consciousness.

A man in his 50s who injured eight people after wielding a weapon at a large commercial facility in Incheon attends a pre-arrest warrant hearing at Incheon District Court in Michuhol-gu, Incheon, on the 16th. Yonhap News Agency

Meanwhile, investigators say the suspect, identified as Mr. B, 59, rushed at Ms. A and an acquaintance of hers while they were having lunch in the restaurant area and suddenly wielded a weapon. Immediately after the incident, fire authorities received 25 emergency calls to 119, including 21 general calls and four requests for a joint response with police.

Mr. B is suspected of attempting to kill 10 visitors with a weapon at around 1:48 p.m. on October 13, inside a large commercial complex in Guwol-dong, Namdong-gu, Incheon, which houses a large supermarket, a movie theater and other businesses. Of the 10 victims, eight, including Ms. A, were classified as injured, while the other two were unharmed.

Mr. B reportedly has 10 prior convictions, including two records for attempted murder and offenses resulting in fines. He reportedly claimed that he had been dissatisfied with a hospital where he had received treatment for a skin condition, and that a report by the hospital had led to a police investigation. He said he committed the crime to create a news story and draw public attention to his grievances.

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