Police suspect Seoul pizza shop stabbing spree was over business disagreement

Police inspect the scene of a knife attack in Gwanak District, southern Seoul, on Sept. 3. [NEWS1]

 
A franchise pizza shop owner is under investigation for allegedly killing three people and seriously injuring another in a knife attack that police suspect was a business dispute with the franchisor.
 
Three people were killed and one seriously injured in the attack, which occurred around 10:57 a.m. on Wednesday at a franchise pizza shop in Jowon-dong in Gwanak District, southern Seoul. One of the victims was reportedly an employee of the pizza chain’s headquarters.
 

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Police said the shop owner, who also sustained injuries, is in hospital. Authorities are now looking into the exact motive. 
 
"The incident stemmed from the franchisor’s abusive practices, including repeated pressure to add new menu items and refusal to take responsibility for construction defects caused by a headquarters-designated contractor," the owner said. 
 
A family member of the suspect told the JoongAng Ilbo that the franchisor had repeatedly imposed excessive demands and failed to resolve mounting operational issues.
 
“The headquarters made unreasonable demands,” the family member of the owner said. “Delivery platform fees were already difficult to handle, but the headquarters kept taking a large portion of the shop’s revenue.” 

The family member added that people from the headquarters visited several times recently and insisted that the shop launch a new single-person meal set. But that menu item would’ve led to losses, not profits, according to the family member, who added that it caused the owner a lot of stress.

 
"The shop had undergone renovations less than two years ago through a contractor designated by the headquarters, yet multiple defects emerged and remained unresolved,” the family member said. “There were leaks, and the owner had to clear out the water on their own. Then the tiles broke, and the refrigerator collapsed. The headquarters initially promised to fix the problems but later reversed its position, which created more conflict.”
 
The family member said representatives from both the franchisor and the interior firm had visited the shop again on Wednesday morning, shortly before the incident, to discuss the repair issues.
 
"The shop owner had previously experienced several business failures and saw this pizza shop as their final chance to succeed," the family member said. "The owner put everything into running that store.” 
 
Neighbors also expressed disbelief.
 
“The owner was outgoing and often handed out pizza to people in the neighborhood,” one resident said. “They didn’t seem like someone capable of such violence. I even saw them this morning and we exchanged a cheerful greeting. Something must have pushed them over the edge.”
 

Police inspect the scene of a knife attack in Gwanak District, southern Seoul, on Sept. 3. [NEWS1]

 
Police said they are still examining the specific details behind the crime.
 
“We believe the attack may have stemmed from a business-related conflict,” a police official said. “But we are still working to confirm the motive.”
 
The JoongAng Daily attempted to contact the franchisor for comment multiple times, but the company could not be reached. 
 
Police found three people dead and one critically injured. The suspect, identified as the pizza shop owner, allegedly attacked the victims with a knife.
 
Emergency services first received a call from the scene reporting, “I’ve been stabbed. Help me.”
 
 


This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
BY JUN YUL,LEE YOUNG-KEUN AND KIM CHANG-YONG [paik.jihwan@joongang.co.kr]