Man in His 20s Arrested for Threatening Elementary School Students With a Weapon at Apartment Library, Telling Them, “Take Your Call Outside”

1. Overview

At around 4:40 p.m. on October 26, 2026, a man in his 20s, identified as A, was arrested at the scene after threatening two elementary school students with a weapon in a library inside an apartment complex in Uijeongbu, Gyeonggi Province. The students had been making phone calls inside the library, and A allegedly brought a weapon from his home and threatened them, telling them to “make your calls outside.”

The Uijeongbu Police Station of the Gyeonggi Provincial Police Agency announced the following day, on the 27th, that it had apprehended A and was questioning him on suspicion of aggravated intimidation. Some media outlets later reported that police had obtained a statement from A saying, “I got angry because they were making calls in the library,” and had requested a warrant for his arrest.

2. Incident

A is suspected of threatening two elementary school students with a weapon in a library inside an apartment complex in Uijeongbu at around 4:40 p.m. on the 26th. The incident began when the students made phone calls inside the library. Yonhap News and KBS reported that investigators believe A objected to this, brought a weapon from his home, and threatened them, saying, “Make your calls outside.” The Gyeonggi Ilbo reported the same account.

Reports differ slightly in their wording. Yonhap News wrote that A threatened the students, saying they were “making a noise,” while MBC reported that he told them to “be quiet” after they made calls loudly. MBC was also the only outlet to give the time as “around five o’clock yesterday afternoon”; the other outlets that specified a time reported around 4:40 p.m. Reports did not specify the type of weapon.

3. Report and Arrest

The incident was reported after one of the students contacted a parent. According to iNews24 and Yonhap News, a parent called 112 after receiving a call from their child saying that a man carrying a weapon had come to the library. The Gyeonggi Ilbo reported that one of the students told a parent. Police responding to the report arrested A at the scene.

After the arrest, police began investigating the exact circumstances and motive. According to OBS, A stated, “I got angry because they were making calls in the library,” and police requested a warrant for his arrest after obtaining the statement. MBC and News1 also reported that a warrant had been requested. However, articles published by Yonhap News, KBS, and the Gyeonggi Ilbo on the morning of the 27th did not mention a warrant request, stating only that the investigation was ongoing.

4. Authenticity debate

There are no clearly conflicting claims about the facts of the incident itself. However, police are still investigating the exact motive.

4.1. The incident was a spur-of-the-moment reaction to noise

A stated that he became angry after seeing people making calls in the library, and his demand was that they “make their calls outside.” Reports do not mention any other motive, such as a demand for money.

4.2. The weapon was brought as a deliberate threat

Investigators believe A brought a weapon from his home to threaten the students. The targets were two elementary school students, and police reportedly requested a warrant for his arrest on suspicion of aggravated intimidation.

The police investigation is still underway, so it remains to be seen how much of the motive will be established.

5. Trivia

• iNews24 included an AI-generated image created with ChatGPT in its article, explaining that it was intended to help readers understand the story.
• A comment on the iNews24 article reading “The elementary school kid was in the wrong” received 159 likes. It also received six replies.