Man in His 60s Arrested After Stabbing Eight People at Incheon Homeplus Store

A man in his 60s was arrested on Tuesday after a stabbing attack at a Homeplus hypermarket in Incheon that left eight people injured, one of them in cardiac arrest. Police and fire authorities responded to an emergency call received at 1:49 p.m. at the Guwol branch in Namdong-gu.

Witnesses said the suspect carried knives fastened to both hands. He moved between floors on escalators, starting from the second basement level where the supermarket is located and continuing to the second floor above ground. Shoppers subdued him before police arrived and took him into custody. Officers were questioning him about his motive.

All eight victims were taken to hospitals. An emergency medical station was set up on the building’s first floor. Police confirmed the number of injured and the cardiac-arrest case. No deaths had been reported as of early afternoon.

The attack occurred in a busy commercial complex in a city that forms part of the Seoul metropolitan area and is home to South Korea’s main international airport. South Korea has recorded several stabbing incidents in recent years, including attacks in 2023 that killed multiple people and a May 2025 case in Gwangju in which a teenager was fatally stabbed.

Police said they would investigate the exact circumstances and the suspect’s background. A search of his belongings reportedly turned up additional knives. Authorities have not released his name or any indication of a specific grievance or prior history that might explain the attack.

The incident drew rapid police and emergency response. Video from the scene showed officers and firefighters outside the complex. Shoppers who intervened helped limit the number of casualties before formal responders arrived.

South Korea maintains relatively low overall homicide rates compared with many other developed countries, yet public attention has focused on random or semi-random knife attacks in public places. Previous cases have prompted debate over mental-health services, weapon controls, and the speed of police response in commercial areas.

Investigators continued to interview the suspect and witnesses on Tuesday afternoon. The condition of the person in cardiac arrest remained a primary concern for medical teams. The attack adds to a series of high-profile stabbing cases that have tested public confidence in everyday safety in large South Korean cities.