Korea has long been one of the safest countries worldwide when it comes to public security. It was one of the few countries where a woman could walk alone at night.
Reports on dozens of deaths due to terrorist attacks in the Middle East or daily gun violence in the U.S. were stories of faraway countries.
That is changing.
Two stabbing rampages in as many weeks, leaving two people dead and a few dozen wounded, might appear trivial to foreigners. However, Koreans are now in a state of collective panic as their long-held belief in safe public places, like plazas and subway stations, is shaken by the roots.
Many people think they could be murdered or injured by total strangers on their way out or to work. Adding to their fear and anxiety are hundreds of online threats hinting at copycat crimes, although many of the ominous messages have proven to be pranks posted by teenagers. Random attacks by "lone wolves," a common illness of modern society, have landed here.
In response, President Yoon Suk Yeol instructed two things -- more vigorous enforcement by the police and national checks on the public's mental health. The combination of short- and long-term measures appears reasonable, although the second came only after the first invited some criticism. At any rate, at stake is how to carry them out without adverse effects. That shows why some of the announced steps require refining or supplementing.
Upon Yoon's instruction, his police chief placed all officers on special security alert for the first time in history, encouraging them to use guns and tasers "without hesitation." Yoon's justice minister also proposed greater immunity for officers using violence to pin down suspects. Considering the increasingly brutal crimes and officers' limited means to deal with them, these may be necessary. However, officials must be prudent in making detailed rules for using weapons.
As an old saying goes, too much could be as bad as too little. Nothing showed this better than the police putting down a teenage jogger the other day, causing injury. It was sparked by a mistaken report, saying a man in a black hoodie was running with a knife. Before attacking the boy, officers should have stopped him for inspection. In Korea, where firearms are banned, most suspects' weapons are knives or hammers. Armed officers can overwhelm them by acting more firmly -- and calmly. Quicker responses are more effective than armored vehicles.
Yoon also told officials to regard them as "terrorists." The president may not be wrong, as perpetrators instill fear among the public.
However, in Korea, with little, if any, religious fanaticism or racial hatred, potential attackers are loners frustrated with personal failures and isolated from society. Many have mental disorders, including psychopathy and schizophrenia. Instead of testing the mental states of all Koreans, the government must manage existing patients better. According to reports, hundreds of thousands of these patients have stopped treatment for one reason or another. It is urgent to bring them back to institutional care.
A better cooperation system between medical institutions, police and the community, including families, should prevent them from running loose. However, before forcing people with problems into mental hospitals, Korea must also increase spending for their public management, which stands far below the OECD average.
Law enforcement authorities must tackle random attack issues more systematically. Japan, which experienced similar crimes a decade before, started by compiling data and analyzing types and causes. Emotional, knee-jerk responses cannot cure these social ills caused by cutthroat competition and a winner-take-all system that neglects losers.
There are things the government and society can and cannot do now. For instance, Korea, a notoriously competitive society, cannot immediately shift to a more compassionate one. But it's not too late to try to be one.
Likewise, law enforcement officers cannot prevent all attackers. But they can discourage as many potential ones as possible by temporarily shutting down anonymous online communities that thrive on these cowardly users.
What's coming is coming. Let's be more resolute but still composed.
Source: Yonhap News Agency