ISTANBUL

The South Korean police Friday launched a “special police operation,” allowing the use of firearms, as the nation witnessed rising stabbing incidents.

“I'm declaring a special police action to counter heinous crimes until the people's anxiety is relieved,” said Yoon Hee-keun, commissioner general of the South Korean National Police Agency.

The police action came after three incidents of stabbings took place in South Korea in over a month.

Early today, a suspect in his 20s was arrested after he stabbed a teacher at a school in South Korea’s central city of Daejeon, Seoul-based Yonhap News reported.

The incident came a day after 14 people were injured on Thursday when a man drove his car onto a pedestrian walkway and then went on a stabbing rampage at a department store in Seongnam city, about 20 kilometers (12 miles) southeast of the capital Seoul.

Last month, one person was killed and three others injured at Sillim Station in the capital Seoul.

“We will selectively stop and search those suspected of owning a weapon or people acting strangely according to the legal procedures,” the country’s police chief said.

To ensure safety, Yoon asked police to “actively use physical force, including the use of firearms or stun guns, in case of another stabbing rampage.”

“We will utilize the maximum police force in public places, including local police, riot police teams and police detectives, to strengthen patrols and suppress the atmosphere for criminal activity," he added.