Incheon stabbing suspect Choi Chung-rak falls below psychopathy threshold

Choi Chung-rak, 59, who was detained on charges of attempted murder after going on a stabbing rampage at a large commercial complex in Incheon, has been found to fall below the diagnostic threshold for psychopathy, also known as antisocial personality disorder.

According to legal and police sources, the Incheon Metropolitan Police Agency administered the Psychopathy Checklist-Revised (PCL-R) to Choi, who is being held on charges of attempted murder and carrying a weapon in a public place, and he scored below the 25-point cutoff.

The test has a maximum score of 40, and in South Korea a score above 25 is required for a psychopathy classification.

Police deployed criminal profilers to interview Choi and evaluate his personality traits — including impulsivity, lack of empathy and irresponsibility — by scoring his responses to 20 questions.

Investigators are continuing to analyze evidence and conduct additional interviews to determine the motive and whether the attack was premeditated.

Choi is accused of stabbing 10 people at a large commercial complex in Guwol-dong, Namdong-gu, Incheon — which houses a hypermarket, a movie theater and other facilities — at around 1:48 p.m. Monday.

Eight of the victims were classified as injured, including a 19-year-old woman who remained unconscious, while the other two escaped without injury.

During police questioning, Choi said he carried out the attack "to create news and draw attention in order to make my grievances known to society," adding that he "did not target specific individuals but chose people who looked weaker than me."

He also reportedly told investigators that he had considered targeting a daycare center on the day of the attack but decided against it because he felt it would go too far.