The man in his thirties, identified only as A, was arrested on suspicion of murder immediately after the attack on Tuesday.
Outside the courthouse for his pre-trial hearing on Thursday, he told reporters that the attack was not premeditated. He said: “I’m sorry to the victim. I’ll never do something like this again.”
Following the attack inside the store in Mia-dong, one of the women in her sixties suffered a heart attack and died in a hospital, while a store employee was injured.
Investigators said A had earlier been admitted to a nearby hospital for a finger injury but left while still wearing a hospital gown, according to the Korea JoongAng Daily.
While inside the store, he drank soju before removing a knife on display to carry out the attack. He later hid the knife in a pile of snacks before leaving the store, according to the Maeil Business Newspaper.
