Flowers, beverages and messages of condolences lie on an alley near Sillim Station on July 22, 2023, where a man was killed and three others wounded in a stabbing rampage a day before. (Yonhap)
SEOUL, Aug. 1 (Korea Bizwire) — Following a fatal stabbing rampage that occurred in daylight in Seoul’s Gwanak District, a series of online posts vowing to commit a similar crime is sparking controversy.
Last week, police put a 20-something man under emergency detention on suspicions of uploading an online post the previous day threatening to “kill 20 women at Sillim Station on the 26th day (of July).”
The post immediately caused strong fears among Seoul citizens, as a 33-year-old man went on a stabbing rampage near the Subway Line 2 station on July 21, killing one person and wounding three others.
A few days later, another post threatening to “kill 20 hannams on Monday at Sillim Station” was uploaded on an internet community.
Hannam is a misandrist internet acronym of hankuk namja, or Korean man in English.
Including the latest post, the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency is currently investigating a total of six internet death threats for the subway station area in southwestern Seoul.
In an anonymous online community, victims were mocked for being male.
“In online communities where anonymity is ensured, people can assert their opinions more rigorously. Sometimes, they express a sense of relative deprivation or cynicism towards society without any filter,” said Lee Dong-gwi, a psychology professor at Yonsei University.
Some are calling for stronger regulations to stop criminal activities or indiscriminate hatred in online communities.
“There should first be a social consensus and a common understanding that online posts should not pose a threat to society. Then, we can establish a legal basis and procedure to address this,” said Professor Kwak Dae-kyung at Dongguk University’s College of Police and Criminal Justice.
H. M. Kang (hmkang@koreabizwire.com)
