Malicious Comments Target 'Sindang Station Incident' Victims... How to Handle the Flood of Secondary Harm

Victim's Uncle: "Heartbreaking Malicious Comments, I Want to Even Fight Back"
Criticism of Secondary Victim-Blaming for 'Victim's Behavior' During 'Inha University Incident'

A memorial procession by citizens has continued since the 19th at the women's restroom of Sindang Station on Seoul Subway Line 2, where a man in his 20s was murdered after stalking. Photo by Moon Honam munonam@

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Hyun-joo] Secondary victimization against the victim in the 'Sindang Station Station Attendant Stalking Murder Case' is severe online. Moreover, inappropriate remarks by Seoul City Council member Lee Sang-hoon and others regarding this case have also caused controversy. The victim's family is considering legal action against malicious comments.

On the 20th, at the National Assembly's Women and Family Committee meeting, Minister of Gender Equality and Family Kim Hyun-sook stated, "If the victim had sufficiently consulted with the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family's 1366 counseling service or received support for housing and legal aid to protect herself, stronger measures would have been taken, and this tragedy might have been avoided," sparking controversy.

This was a criticism that the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family had not been informed of the victim's situation and thus could not fulfill its role in victim support. However, there are concerns that this statement could be interpreted as blaming the victim's passive attitude for part of the responsibility for the incident. Prior to the incident, the victim of the Sindang Station case had actively taken criminal justice measures, including filing two complaints against Jeon Joo-hwan (31) for violations of the Sexual Violence Punishment Act and the Stalking Punishment Act.

Minister Kim further explained, "It is not about exposing personal information when investigating sexual violence crimes. When information is not provided immediately and is only learned through news articles, prevention becomes difficult," adding, "There was also a lack of awareness among public institutions about the obligation to notify, so we plan to re-announce the notification duty."

Earlier, Seoul City Council member Lee Sang-hoon's remarks also drew heavy criticism. On the 16th, during a Seoul City Council plenary session, he said, "It seems the male employee responded violently because his feelings were not reciprocated," and added, "He is a 31-year-old young man who must have worked hard in society and prepared for employment to join Seoul Metro." Lee also said, "What would the parents' feelings be, whether perpetrator or victim? My son is enlisting in the military next Monday, and from a father's perspective, it would be unbearably heartbreaking."

These remarks were criticized for defending the suspect Jeon Joo-hwan and downplaying the severity of his criminal acts. On the morning of the 19th, former Democratic Party Co-Chair Park Ji-hyun appeared on KBS Radio's 'Choi Kyung-young's Strong Current Affairs' and said, "Why is a person representing citizens tarnishing their faces? How can one make remarks that worry about and defend the perpetrator in front of a woman's unjust death? It is humiliating to be in the same party," sharply criticizing Lee.

As the controversy grew, Lee issued an apology stating, "I deeply apologize for causing great pain to the victim and the bereaved family with my thoughtless remarks," and bowed his head, saying, "The Sindang Station incident was an event that should never have happened." It is reported that he received a six-month suspension of party membership as a disciplinary measure.

At an urgent press conference held on the 19th in front of Exit 10 of Sindang Station, Jung-gu, Seoul, youth and students demanded stronger punishment for stalking crimes and enhanced protection for victims in response to the stalking murder case of a female worker. Photo by Kim Hyun-min kimhyun81@

In addition, the victim's family is suffering from malicious secondary victimization comments posted online. According to the victim's uncle, Mr. A, who appeared on CBS Radio's 'Kim Hyun-jung's News Show' that day, many comments referred to the victim as 'Hannyeo' or questioned, "Is there any reason for a Hannyeo to die?" He confessed, "It was heartbreaking to see such malicious comments from citizens who breathe the same air and live in the same space. I even felt like physically confronting Council member Lee."

Mr. A pointed to some sensational reporting in the early stages of the case as the cause of these malicious comments. He explained, "Initially, a daily newspaper reported that the two threatened each other with secretly filmed footage in a private space," adding, "Such reports led ordinary people to have sensational imaginations or perceptions, which resulted in outrageous remarks like secondary victimization and malicious comments." He also corrected the facts, saying, "It has been confirmed that while working at the same station, Jeon Joo-hwan installed a hidden camera in the women's restroom, which the victim (his niece) first discovered and reported to the police."

In fact, in the early days after the incident became known, many comments blaming the victim's behavior or speculating about the relationship between the victim and Jeon Joo-hwan were posted on some online communities.

Such secondary victimization behavior was also problematic during the 'Inha University Sexual Assault Fall Death' case. This case involved B (20, male), a student at Inha University, who was arrested and indicted for pushing a classmate out of a window to death while attempting sexual assault in the early morning of July 15. At that time, many online comments blamed the victim, citing that the victim had been drinking and had not returned home until late at night, which was widely criticized.

Meanwhile, the victim's family in the Sindang Station case is considering legal action against malicious comments. Mr. A emphasized on the radio, when asked if they were considering legal action and if they viewed it as serious defamation, "Yes. We will resolve it through lawyers."