Police officers conduct investigation at Gwangju Dongbu Police Station, over a crime scene in Gwangju, where a man attacked a police officer with a knife, Jeolla Province, Feb. 26. Yonhap

A man who attacked a police officer with a knife in the southwestern city of Gwangju died after being shot by the officer Wednesday.

The officer from the Gwangju Dongbu Police Station was first stabbed twice by the 51-year-old knife attacker, whose identity was withheld, in an alley of the city's Geumnamro district at around 3:10 a.m. after arriving there in response to a 112 emergency call from two women threatened by the man.

The officer used a firearm in the subsequent scuffle and the attacker was shot with a live bullet and pronounced dead at a nearby hospital at around 4 a.m.

The officer also sustained serious injuries to his neck and face and underwent emergency surgery.

At that time, the officer, accompanied by a fellow, rushed to the alley to respond to an emergency hotline report that two women were being chased by a stranger while walking home.

When confronted with the officers, the suspect reportedly pulled a knife out of a paper bag and went on a rampage. As the man refused to put down his weapon despite repeated warnings, the police officer fired a taser gun that went wide, as well as a blank bullet, before firing three live rounds at him.

Police are investigating the exact circumstances of the incident, including the appropriateness of the use of the firearm. (Yonhap)