A man in his 40s was arrested for threatening passers-by with a weapon near Hangang Park.

(Seoul = Yonhap News) Reporters Cho Hyun-yeong and Jeong Ji-soo = On the last day of the holiday, an incident occurred near the crowded Hangang Park, where a man in his 40s threatened passers-by with a weapon.

According to Yonhap News coverage on the 27th, Yeongdeungpo Police Station in Seoul arrested Mr. A, who is suspected of threatening passers-by with a weapon near Yanghwa Hangang Park, at around 3:45 pm on the same day for possession of a weapon in a public place. No one was injured as a result.

When Mr. A screamed while holding a weapon on the street, passers-by took refuge in a nearby cafe.

Accordingly, Mr. A attempted to enter the cafe while holding a weapon, but the owner of the cafe was able to prevent damage by locking the doors and windows and immediately reporting the incident to the police.

On the last day of the holiday, there were many outings and passers-by who visited Hangang Park, so it almost led to major damage.

Jaewon Han (47), the owner of the cafe, told Yonhap News, "It was busy and there were a lot of customers, so my staff and I were busy making coffee, and suddenly we saw people crowding around outside. At first, I thought, 'There was a fight.'"

Mr. Han described the urgent situation, saying, "Usually I would watch when there was a fight, but I could feel people running and running away. I saw people outside rushing inside, so I looked outside and saw a person who seemed to be holding a knife walking back and forth."

Mr. Han, who was inside the counter (bar), sensed danger and quickly asked a customer near the door to lock the door, and also locked the window and the door leading to the bathroom.

Less than 30 seconds after all doors were locked, Mr. A came to the front of the cafe and shook the door. Mr. A even pretended to break the glass when the cafe door was locked.

Only after confirming that the police who had been dispatched after receiving the report had arrested Mr. A did Mr. Han open the door and inform the customers, “You may leave.”

Mr. B, a witness in his 30s who was drinking coffee at an outdoor table, said, "I was drinking coffee with my family at an outdoor cafe with my two children. Suddenly, I heard a loud noise and people murmuring, so I turned around and saw a man holding a knife and yelling at the people around me."

Mr. B said, “I was so surprised that I first took refuge inside the cafe, and other people outside also came inside.” He added, “As the people around him ran away, the man came to the cafe and tried to open the door and window by banging on them, but they were locked, so he ran again with a knife towards a nearby vehicle.”

It is reported that there were about 15 people inside the cafe where they took shelter.

The police plan to investigate the circumstances of Mr. A's crime and consider applying for an arrest warrant.