The joint police and prosecutorial team investigating Saturday’s attack on Grand National Party Chairwoman Park Geun-hye says the original target may have been the party’s candidate for the Seoul mayorship, Oh Se-hoon.

Chief investigator Lee Seung-gu said Tuesday assailant Ji Choong-ho’s friend, identified only as Chung, heard Ji talking about attacking the mayoral candidate three days prior to the attack.

Lee added that, while Chung's statement may be important in revealing the motive behind the attack, Ji has not yet confirmed it.

Meanwhile, the joint probe team has found that Ji, an unemployed welfare recipient, purchased an expensive mobile handset on an installment plan. The team is investigating details of his phone records and bills, as well as his credit card use and how he paid for the bills.

Investigators also pointed out that Ji, a diabetic, bought six ice-cream bars while waiting at the crime scene, and are probing into the possibility of accomplices in the attack.

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