A man in his 60s has been arrested after he approached a hair salon owner late at night while carrying a hatchet and then swung the weapon at a passerby who tried to stop him, police said.
The Dongdaemun Police Station in Seoul has booked the man, identified only as A, on charges of violating the anti-stalking law, aggravated assault and carrying a weapon in a public place, police said on the 28th.
At around 1:30 a.m. on the 22nd, A tried to start a conversation with a woman in her 40s, identified as B, who owns a hair salon he had been visiting, on a street in Dapsimni-dong, Dongdaemun District, Seoul.
When B refused, A followed her and stalked her, according to the investigation.
A man in his 30s who witnessed the situation intervened, and A is accused of swinging the hatchet, which measured about 30 centimeters in total length, at him. Neither B nor the passerby was injured.
Police who responded to the report tracked A's movements using closed-circuit television footage and other evidence. He was arrested at the scene of the crime in an alley about 200 meters away.
B had not previously reported A for stalking, police said.
Police believe A has a mental illness and placed him under emergency hospitalization. They plan to seek an arrest warrant for him soon.
