South Korean authorities detained a man on Tuesday after two police officers were stabbed outside a compound housing the presidential office in Seoul. The incident occurred when the officers tried to subdue a man in his 70s who was shouting in front of the compound. One officer was stabbed in the stomach and the other in the left arm. The two officers were being treated in the hospital. The Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency confirmed the incident but did not provide further details or comment on a suspected motive for the attack.
SBS News broadcasted footage of the incident, showing a man being held down with a knife nearby on the ground. President Yoon Suk Yeol had moved the presidential office to this location, in Seoul’s Yongsan district, last year from the Blue House. It is unclear if the president was in his office at the time of the attack. The compound also houses the Ministry of Defense.
The area outside the compound is known for political demonstrations and protests. Earlier this year, there were two separate stabbing incidents in South Korea, one in a commuter town near Seoul and the other in Seoul itself. These attacks were unexpected in a country that has generally been considered safe with a low murder rate. South Korea was shocked by these incidents.