"I Didn't Do Anything Wrong"... Man in His 40s Who Threatened People with a Weapon Near the Hangang River Denies Allegations in Court

[Financial News]  A man in his 40s who allegedly threatened passersby with a weapon near Yanghwa Hangang Park in Seoul on the last day of the Chuseok holiday and then tried to enter a café is facing possible detention.
According to Yonhap News Agency and Newsis on the 29th, Seoul Southern District Court Chief Judge Kim Ji-hyun, who handles warrant cases, held a hearing beginning at 10:30 a.m. to determine whether to detain Mr. Cheon, a man in his 40s suspected of possessing a weapon in a public place.
Mr. Cheon appeared at the court at around 9:53 a.m. wearing a black cap, glasses and a mask.
When reporters asked, "Why did you threaten passersby with a weapon?" and "Did you have a reason for entering the café?" he replied, "I didn't do anything wrong, did I?"
After the hearing, which lasted about 25 minutes, Mr. Cheon emerged from the courtroom at around 10:55 a.m. In response to a question asking whether he believed it was not wrong to threaten people with a weapon, he said, "I did something wrong, but I also feel wronged." When asked what he felt was unfair, he replied, "I'm not a bad person, but why only me?"
When asked why he had tried to enter the café, he said, "I didn't go into the café." In response to the question, "Didn't you try to enter?" he again denied it, saying, "No. I never went in."
Mr. Cheon is suspected of threatening passersby with a weapon at around 3:45 p.m. on the 27th, the last day of the Chuseok holiday, near Yanghwa Hangang Park in Yeongdeungpo District, Seoul.
When Mr. Cheon pulled out a weapon on the street, shouted and caused a disturbance, passersby fled to a nearby café.
Mr. Cheon allegedly tried to enter the café while carrying the weapon, but the café owner locked the doors and windows, preventing him from getting inside. The owner immediately called the police and was able to prevent further harm.
Around 15 people were reportedly inside the café at the time. Police requested a detention warrant for Mr. Cheon the previous day, the 28th.
Under the Criminal Act, a person who, without a legitimate reason, possesses and displays a weapon in a public place—such as a road or park—that is accessible to unspecified or numerous people, thereby causing public anxiety or fear, may be punished for possessing a weapon in a public place with up to three years in prison or a fine of up to 10 million won.
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