Richard KimBBC Korea
an hour ago
picture explanation,
On the afternoon of the 3rd, a weapon crime occurred near Seohyeon Station, Bundang-gu, Seongnam-si, Gyeonggi-do, targeting an unspecified number of people.
As recent ‘don’t ask me weapon riots’ incidents have occurred one after another, voices are spreading that fundamental measures are needed to prevent heinous crimes.
On the 3rd, many citizens were shocked when a weapon crime was committed against an unspecified number of people at a department store in Bundang-gu, Seongnam-si, Gyeonggi-do. This incident occurred two weeks after the ‘don’t ask me weapon riot’ incident in Sillim-dong, Gwanak-gu, Seoul.
The suspect who committed the crime this time is a 22-year-old Mr. Choi, born in 2001, who has been working as a delivery man. He drove the vehicle onto the sidewalk, crashed into pedestrians, then entered the department store and brandished his weapon. 14 people were injured in the weapon rampage. Of these, 5 were damaged by the vehicle the suspect was driving, and 9 were damaged by knife strikes.
Two of the 14 victims were identified as possibly brain dead. According to the authorities on the 4th, the two victims (a woman in her 20s and a woman in her 60s) who are being treated in an intensive care unit are in critical condition, with brain death expected.
Eight of the stabbing victims suffered serious injuries, and three of them received surgery and are said to have no life-threatening injuries.
picture explanation,
On the afternoon of the 3rd, when the Do not Ask weapon riot occurred in the Seohyeon Station area, a vehicle in which the criminal rushed into the sidewalk was parked in front of the AK department store at Seohyeon Station, Bundang, Seongnam-si, Gyeonggi-do.
weapon riot background
Choi, the suspect in the Bundang weapon riot, swung the weapon in his hand at the citizens while wearing a black hoodie, a hat, and even sunglasses at the time of the crime.
The specific motive for the crime or the contents of the statement are not known. However, according to the police, Choi was diagnosed with schizoid personality disorder at the psychiatric department in the past, but was not treated properly at the time and is said to not be taking related drugs.
During the police investigation, it was confirmed that Mr. Choi showed symptoms of paranoia, such as “someone is trying to kill me” and “he is looking at all of his private life”.
The police also found out that Choi made preparations in advance, such as buying a weapon at a nearby hypermarket the day before the crime.
Among experts, there is an analysis that there is a possibility that Choi committed a crime of anger in that he committed a second crime with a weapon immediately after committing a primary crime using a vehicle.
picture explanation,
Police forces are deployed at Seohyeon Station, Bundang-gu, Seongnam-si, Gyeonggi-do, where the Do not Ask weapon riot occurred on the morning of the 4th.
Is Mental Illness Motivated?
As the circumstances that Mr. Choi suffered from mental illness in the past are revealed, the motive for this crime is also analyzed that it may not be unrelated to related symptoms such as delusion of persecution.
However, considering the fact that the suspect tried to hide his identity by covering his face at the time of the crime and that he threw the weapon in a nearby flower bed immediately after the crime, it is interpreted that there is a somewhat different part from the criminal behavior of ordinary mentally ill people. Accordingly, it is expected that detailed motives will be identified only after an in-depth analysis of Choi’s mental state.
Some point out that if Choi’s crime is due to a mental history, the management and treatment system for the mentally ill should be strengthened. This is because in the past, ‘don’t ask crimes’ by mentally ill patients were repeated as long as they were forgotten.
On the 4th of last month, in Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi-do, a teenager with mental illness stabbed an elementary school student who was eating cup noodles in an apartment complex. Stabbing has occurred.
Experts pointed out that institutional improvements, such as active treatment and quarantine measures, are urgently needed to prevent crimes by mentally ill people.
Stop copycat crimes as soon as possible
Following the Sillim Station Don’t Ask murder case and the Bundang weapon riot, public fear and anxiety are growing out of control. Recently, self-defense items such as stun guns, pepper spray, and three-stage sticks have ranked first in shopping mall search rankings.
Some argue that people in their 20s and 30s should refrain from going out or avoid crowded places such as subway stations. This is because after the ‘Bundang weapon riot’ following Sillim-dong, more than 10 articles were posted online saying that they would commit similar crimes.
picture explanation,
After the ‘Seohyun Station Don’t Ask Weapon Riot’ incident, another ‘Duck Station Murder Prediction’ was written in the online space, and 98 people were urgently deployed to the Bundang area of Seongnam City.
There was also a message that they would stage a riot with a weapon in the Yongsan area.
According to the police on the 4th, posts such as “I will fight in Yongsan” and “I planted a bomb in front of President Yoon Seok-yeol’s house” were posted on an Internet community. The police said they are currently tracking down the authors of the article.
Right after the shooting rampage that took place near Seohyeon Station earlier, murder notices were posted on the online community, saying, “Tomorrow morning, I will kill 20 people at Jamsil Station” and “Tomorrow night, at 10:00 PM, I will be stabbing at Hanti Station.”
A total of 11 murder notices pointed to downtown Seoul as the location of the crime. In addition, articles suggesting similar crimes were posted one after another in various parts of the country, such as Busan Seomyeon Station and Uijeongbu Station.
On the same day, a man in his 20s was arrested at Gangnam Express Bus Terminal in Seoul while wandering around with a weapon. Fortunately, there were no casualties.
Some argue that the writer of the murder notice should be arrested as soon as possible and severely punished by applying the crime of preparatory murder.
In order to prevent the follow-up Don’t Ask Mean Riot copying crime, it is necessary to set a strict punishment precedent by applying the crime of preparatory murder to the writer of the murder notice. Article 255 of the Criminal Act stipulates that ‘a person who prepares or conspires for the purpose of committing a crime such as murder may be punished by imprisonment for up to 10 years’.
‘Apparent acts of terrorism’
As a series of riots with deadly weapons continued, Commissioner General Yoon Hee-geun declared the riots with deadly weapons an act of terrorism and declared special security measures to deal with heinous crimes.
The police emphasized, “We will carry out inspections and searches as prescribed by the law for those suspected of possessing a weapon or acting abnormally.”
Earlier that day, President Yoon ordered the government to mobilize all the police force to take a super-strong response to the weapon riot at Seohyeon Station in Bundang so that the public would not be anxious.
picture explanation,
As a series of riots with deadly weapons continued, Commissioner General Yoon Hee-geun declared the riots with deadly weapons an act of terrorism and declared special security activities to deal with heinous crimes.
The death penalty abolitionism reignited
Just two weeks after the ‘Don’t Ask Murder Case’ at Sillim Station, a riot with a weapon broke out at a department store in Seohyeon Station in Bundang, and some voices in favor of the death penalty are emerging. It is said that it is necessary to sound the alarm about the crime of murder without asking by carrying out stricter punishment for the heinous criminal who took the life of an innocent citizen.
However, Korea is classified as a de facto abolitionist country as it has not carried out any executions since 1997. This is why some analysts say that it is practically impossible for the death penalty to actually be carried out despite the growing voices of the public calling for the reinstatement of the death penalty. Given that public opinion on the death penalty is also mixed, it seems virtually difficult for the government to take an active part in the execution.
In the midst of this, recent discussions on the establishment of a new ‘life sentence without parole’ to prepare a realistic alternative are drawing attention.
Promoting ‘life imprisonment without parole’
The power of the people and the government have recently decided to promote the establishment of a ‘life sentence without parole’ in order to strongly respond to the successive ‘don’t ask weapon crimes’.
It is interpreted as the purpose of strengthening the punishment for the so-called ‘don’t ask terrorism’ in the wake of a series of recent weapon riots targeting unspecified citizens.
The Ministry of Justice announced on the 4th, “We are reviewing a plan to add ‘life imprisonment without parole’ to the Criminal Act to strictly respond to heinous crimes.”
People’s Power Policy Committee Chairman Park Loan also said, “After the weapon riot in Sillim-dong, Gwanak-gu, Seoul, we discussed the establishment of a new life sentence without parole at a closed party-government meeting with the Ministry of Justice and the National Police Agency.”
According to Article 72 of the Penal Code, if a person sentenced to life imprisonment has served 20 years, there is a possibility of parole depending on the degree of correction and the possibility of recidivism.
Against this, even though the court sentenced the heinous criminal to ‘imprisonment without a deadline’, in that he may be released on parole in the future, voices against the enforcement of this law have been steadily raised. As a result, opinions have been raised in the legal community that it is necessary to introduce life imprisonment without parole, that is, absolute life imprisonment.
However, some criticize that “the absolute life sentence system cannot be a fundamental alternative to prevent heinous crimes.”
In the case of overseas countries, representative countries that operate a ‘life sentence without parole’ system include the United States and the United Kingdom.
France, Germany, and Italy introduced and then abolished this system after abolishing the death penalty. In Germany, in 1978, the German Federal Constitutional Court ruled that life imprisonment without parole was unconstitutional.
2023-08-04 10:41:25
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