Polarized Society, Exasperated Straggler

Continued Mass Stabbings

 Recent years have witnessed a number of gruesome stabbing rampages. In academia, the abnormal motive crimes have also been conceptualized as crimes with the modifiers of “abnormal motive,” “motiveless,” “nonspecific motive,” “hate,” or “random,” while the press has reported the crimes in the terms of “kalburim (stabbing rampage),” or “mutjima crimes (do-not-ask-why crimes)” (An, 2021; Bark, 2013; Go, 2012; Yang & Lee, 2008; The Korea Times, 2023a).

 

 Since the stabbing rampage near Sillim Station in Seoul in July, 2023, which resulted in four victims, including one person killed, several crimes similar to the rampage have occurred: four victims with one killed near Seohyeon Station, Seoul in July, one killed on Gwanaksan Trail in August, two victims on the Seoul subway in August, and so on. As the public’s uncertainty and anxiety has increased with the rise of online murder threats, the police stepped up “patrols and stop-and-search operations for suspicious people on the streets, declaring a special policing operation” (The Korea Times, 2023b).

 

 The authorities responded to these ongoing mass stabbings by enforcing police surveillance and criminal punishment. Along with the special policing operation sine die, the prosecution organized special teams for stabbing rampages and online threats, claiming to seek the maximum punishment allowed by law for the crimes. Some skepticism, however, has been shown, considering the countermeasures to be limited to bread and circuses, pointing out that there is a fundamental background behind the increase in abnormal motive crimes. To this end, this article employs the perspective from the social dimension of the matter.

Polarized Society, Exasperated Straggler

 Compared to hate crimes in the United States, recent stabbing rampages are classified into “secondary” hate crimes (Yang & Lee, 2008). The hate crimes in Korea is unique in that the primary hate from a majority group results in incidental hates minorities have toward the former haters: the majorities. Given that numerous researchers have concurred in the analysis that the stabbing rampages are expressive crimes, it seems reasonable that people in minority groups express their rages under the social prejudices (An, 2021; Bark, 2013, Go, 2012; Jeong & Choi, 2022; Yang & Lee, 2008; Yoon & Kim, 2013).

 

 Then, we should ask the following question: what makes them outrageously exasperated? Social biases against minority groups may partially account for the background behind the rampages; however this article aims to identify the more quantifiable factor. In the perspective of Go (2012), it is a possible answer to the question that the society has gradually been polarized, leading to a result of escalated exasperation among the minorities: social outcasts.

To demonstrate the correlation between polarization and crimes under rage, we can review the statistics regarding economic inequality and the abnormal motive crimes. The features of abnormal motive crimes, such as stabbings, typically involve perpetrator and victims who do not know each other, and a motive driven either by anger or discontent with the realities of the world. Thus, examining the correlation between the prevalence of the crimes and the trend of social polarization may provide insight.

 Abnormal motive crimes are related to crimes that are either accidental, motivated by social grievances, or crimes in which the perpetrator and the victim have no prior relationship. The occurrence of accidental murders and attempted murders has decreased since 2000, while crimes motivated by social complaints have remained stable. Specifically, due to the overall decrease in the incidence of crimes, the proportion of both types of crimes has increased. On the other hand, in crimes where the victim did not have a personal relationship with the offender, the number of crimes committed by strangers decreased slightly, while the number of crimes committed in an unknown relationship increased significantly.

 In addition, both the Gini’s index and relative poverty rate—which quantify societal inequality and polarization—have continuously increased since 2000. Demonstrating a correlation between polarization and abnormal motive crime during 1990 from to 2010, a study, similarly argues that over-emphasis on competition and resulting social polarization have made social stress and tension the norm—which triggers anger and impatience at the slightest stimulus (Bark, 2013). According to the source, “when individuals face failure and struggle to comprehend it, resulting in dissatisfaction and anger towards society, the probability of committing random crimes rises” (Bark, 2013, p. 249).

 

 A polarized society, in other words, produces winners but also numerous losers. Individuals who experience continued setbacks and lack coping skills develop antipathy towards society; attribute their failures to it; and thereby direct their anger towards indiscriminate attacks on its members (Yoon & Kim, 2013). Knowing this we can come to the following consideration: Prevention is more desirable than coping, and offering proactive assistance is more effective than reactive punishment.

References

An, S. W. (2021). A Study on Consideration and Tendency Analysis of Abnormal Motive Criminal. Korea Criminal Intelligence Review, 7(2), 101-127.

 

Bark, H. M. (2013). Concept and Features of Random Crime : Crimes Against Random People. Korean Journal of Public Safety and Criminal Justice, (50), 225-258.

 

Go, S. Y. (2012). Profiling : Temper and feature of Korean Nonspecific criminal - Focused on Unspecific victims and indiscriminate violence. Korean Police Studies Review, 11(4), 3-23.

 

Jeong, I. S. & Choi, E. R. (2022). A Comparative Study on Suicide-type Indiscriminate Crime in Korea and Japan. Korean Criminal Psychology Review, 18(2), 113-127.

 

The Korea Times. (2023a). ‘Don’t-ask-why’ crimes point to reclusiveness as a growing problem among young Koreans. Retrieved September 11, 2023, from https://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/nation/2023/08/113_358123.html.

 

The Korea Times. (2023b). Police to beef up patrols, stop and searches in wake of back-to-back stabbing rampages. Retrieved September 11, 2023, from http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/nation/2023/08/113_356382.html.

 

Yang, M. S. & Lee, H. J. (2008). The Present Status of Hate Crime and Theocratical Consideration on Its Causes. Wonkwang Law Review, 24(4), 167-199.

 

Yoon, J. & Kim, M. C. (2013). Understanding so called ‘Do-not-ask Crime’: A Psychological Perspective. Korean Criminal Psychology Review, 9(1), 147-174.

 

Lee Sihu (2-8)¹ | Staff Reporter

---

1) jjangsihu@gmail.com