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Police book man for attempting to lure schoolgirls

Published: 16 Sep. 2025, 19:24 Updated: 16 Sep. 2025, 20:54

A police logo [JOONGANG ILBO]

Police booked a man in his 70s after he tried to lure three elementary school girls near a school in Hwaseong, Gyeonggi, by offering to buy them dolls, authorities said on Tuesday.

Authorities from Hwaseong Seobu Police Precinct said they opened a criminal case after the girls told their parents that a man came up to them at about 1:30 p.m. on Monday and said he would buy them dolls. The girls refused, and the man left. The parents then reported the incident to police.

Officers took statements from the children, identified the suspect and brought him in for questioning.

“I just wanted to spend time with the children at a playground,” the man told investigators.

Police formally booked the man and are continuing to investigate the circumstances.

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 JEONG JAE-HONG [[email protected]]