Man with knife arrested near DP headquarters two weeks before presidential election

A man in his 30s was apprehended on Tuesday near the liberal Democratic Party's central headquarters in Yeouido, western Seoul, while wandering in the area with a knife and a BB gun, just two weeks before the presidential election.

At around 11:10 a.m., a police officer spotted the man loitering near the party headquarters during patrol and conducted a stop-and-frisk, according to police.

During the search, the officer found a tactical knife approximately 10 centimeters (3.94 inches) long and what appeared to be a gas-powered BB gun in the man's bag.

At around 11:26 a.m., police arrested the man at the scene for carrying a weapon in a public place in violation of Article 116-3 of the Criminal Act and transferred him to the police station for investigation.  

Authorities are also reviewing nearby closed-circuit television footage to determine the exact circumstances of the incident, according to police.

Translated from the JoongAng Ilbo using generative AI and edited by Korea JoongAng Daily staff.

BY BAE JAE-SUNG [kim.minyoung5@joongang.co.kr]