[So Jongseop's Sokterview] "Elementary Students Directly Exposed to Online Sexual Exploitation... The Real Concern Should Be the Increase in Suicides Under Age 15"

Interview with Crime Psychology Expert Professor Lee Soo-jung of Kyonggi University
"The Problem Lies Online, There Are Communities Encouraging Suicide"

May is the month of family. Various family-related commemorative days such as Children's Day, Parents' Day, Couples' Day, and Coming-of-Age Day are concentrated in this month. What about nature? The fresh greenery is lush, and flowers flaunt their beauty. However, it is not all beautiful. Incidents of killing children and making extreme choices are occurring one after another. After drugs became an issue, there was recently a shocking case where a teenager live-streamed an extreme choice on their SNS.

On the 4th, I met Professor Lee Su-jeong of the Department of Criminal Psychology at Kyonggi University to ask how she diagnoses this situation. The interview was conducted in the conference room on the 11th floor of Asia Economy in Chodong, Jung-gu, Seoul. Professor Lee analyzed, “Portals should be held socially responsible,” emphasizing that “the problem lies online.”

Recently, an incident occurred in Nowon-gu, Seoul, where a husband killed his wife and child and then made an extreme choice.

Experts had already predicted that cases of extreme choices would increase once the COVID-19 quarantine period ended. When society returns to face-to-face interactions, those who adapt well have no problems, but there are people who do not. Among them, if economic hardship continues, the number of extreme choices is expected to rise. However, while some societies anticipate and respond to this, others, like ours, tend to attribute it to individual responsibility.

The Ministry of Health and Welfare has not presented sharp policies regarding problems emerging with the end of the non-face-to-face society. Suicides among people in their 10s and 20s are increasing, while those in their 60s and 70s have significantly decreased compared to the past. Ultimately, this can be seen as a result of policy. The Ministry has focused economic support on older age groups by expanding the basic livelihood security recipients to the near-poor class. On the other hand, people in their 10s and 20s were, in a way, not targets of welfare. With the end of the non-face-to-face society, people in their 10s and 20s have newly appeared in our society as a maladapted group.

Professor Lee Su-jeong of the Department of Criminal Psychology at Kyonggi University analyzed that adolescents are already seriously exposed to crime. Photo by Heo Young-han younghan@

Are there cases abroad where people kill their children while making extreme choices?

Cases where the entire family is wiped out together are hard to find abroad. I think it is closely related to Korea's family-oriented culture. There are issues related to patriarchal authority centered on the family and power dynamics within the household.

Moreover, regarding the perspective on suicide, at some point, it was decided not to use the term “suicide” anymore. In communities, the keyword “suicide” is banned. Instead, the term “extreme choice” has been used, and perhaps because of this, there is a social atmosphere that regards suicide as one of the options. Therefore, in some cases, suicide is treated as a dedication to an organization or considered an extension of responsibility to the family as one of the choices.

Do you think the term “extreme choice” is problematic?

“Extreme” is acceptable. The problem lies with the word “choice.” When do people make choices? Humans decide their actions by making various choices with rational will, but Koreans consider suicide within the range of choices. There has long been an atmosphere treating it like a solemn self-sacrifice. There is a kind of suicide fantasy, treating it like honorable suicide.

Fathers who choose joint suicide with their families claim they did so because they loved their children and felt too heartbroken to leave them alone in a harsh world. But that is neither love nor anything other than murder. It is nothing more or less than a crime. Although people know this, such thinking has not become widespread socially. To reduce such cases, trust must be built that even if it is not you, society will raise the child.

Are you referring to the need for a social child-rearing and protection system?

Yes. If there is a clear child protection system like in the United States and many social agents who can act on behalf of parents, the parents' responsibility as the sole protector of the child would be somewhat diluted. The problem is that our child protection system itself is not structured that way. I searched online all day for places where children can be entrusted temporarily, but it was difficult to find. So everything is kept hush-hush. Because the premise that parents must take responsibility for their children is so obvious, entrusting children to third parties or institutions is highly taboo. Society does not encourage this at all, so while parents have responsibility, society also has social responsibility. If it is absolutely impossible to raise a child, there should be somewhere to entrust them.

It seems necessary to change the social atmosphere regarding “extreme choice.”

The term “suicide” needs to be brought back to the surface. Suicide is cowardly. Fundamentally, while alive, one must fulfill their responsibilities. If one falls into economic hardship, they should take responsibility even if it means personal bankruptcy, and if responsibility cannot be borne externally, they should go to prison. It is undesirable for a value system to form that glorifies choosing a “noble death” instead of bearing responsibility while alive. Among OECD (Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development) countries, no country has as high a suicide rate as Korea. The social and cultural perspective on suicide itself may be problematic.

Is there a difference in legal punishment between killing ascendants (parents, grandparents, etc.) and descendants (children, grandchildren, etc.)?

Killing ascendants is punished more severely. There is even a separate crime name called “parricide.” Killing descendants does not have a separate crime name and is applied under general murder charges. When abuse is involved, it is called “abuse murder.” There is a tendency to be more lenient regarding killing children. Looking at precedents for various reasons, sentences for descendants are shorter than those for ascendants. This may have influenced the incidence of descendant killings. (Descendant killing is punished under general murder charges with penalties of death, life imprisonment, or imprisonment for five years or more. In contrast, parricide is subject to aggravated punishment with penalties of death, life imprisonment, or imprisonment for seven years or more.)

Korea can be said to have just begun awakening to children's rights. The awakening started when child abuse began to be regarded as a crime. The idea that “children can no longer be appendages of their parents, children are not possessions, and physical abuse under the pretext of corporal punishment is unacceptable” has only recently started to spread.

Professor Lee said that suicide is a cowardly act and that there should be a culture of taking responsibility by living. Photo by Younghan Heo younghan@

Recently, cases of sexual assault among relatives have also become a hot issue.

In the past, sexual assault among relatives was probably more common. Because family and relatives felt ashamed, they covered it up and committed a kind of honor killing against the victim. They blamed the victim entirely and eventually drove them out of the family. Now, with the value of protecting children's rights and cases where members report on behalf of victims of sexual violence among relatives, such incidents have increasingly come to light. This reflects the advancement of individual rights as persons. Children report abuse, and victims of sexual violence even report their parents as perpetrators. Social norms have shifted significantly toward individual-centeredness.

Recently, a teenage girl shocked the public by jumping while live-streaming on SNS.

This does not seem to be the first such case. According to reports, a market for consuming cruel videos has emerged. Originally, sexual exploitation videos were the main product, but as those were cracked down on, videos of animal abuse became popular for a while. Now, there are people collecting videos of suicides at the end of this trend. Some communities on SNS are inciting and coercing suicide.

Teenagers want to express their depression but have no one or place to sufficiently relieve it. Would they voluntarily visit a psychiatrist? Would they talk to parents or teachers? Even if they do, they are told to study hard and that things will get better if they go to college. Children struggling turn to internet communities. Taking advantage of this, people intending harm enter these communities under the keyword “depression” and lead children into crime.

Family is important, but the role of schools also seems crucial.

It is said that the cumulative number of school dropouts is about 100,000. When school violence occurs, the only solution considered is to expel the student. No one thinks about what to do afterward. No one in society cares where these youths go. If a first-year high school student fails to meet the required attendance days for the first semester, they are immediately labeled a dropout at the end of the semester. From then on, they live a life with no one taking responsibility. Even if parents are at home, children can fall into danger through their phones, so what if parents are not home due to various circumstances?

Are you saying children are easily exposed to crime?

Youth are already exposed to crime. With no social institutions to rely on, they gather in communities, and those seeking to commit crimes approach them. These youths do not understand the world well and do not know how to report to the police. They have no parents to consult, want counseling, but do not attend school, so there is nowhere to get counseling. The Ministry of Gender Equality and Family runs a program for out-of-school youth, but would children come voluntarily? Counseling functions should be nationalized and regulated so that unqualified people cannot provide counseling. Most so-called counselors in depression communities are unqualified. Shamans or members of cults pose as counselors.

Is there any organization monitoring such communities?

The portal sites have the duty to monitor. They are supposed to do it voluntarily, but there are no consequences if they don’t. They claim freedom of expression and refuse to delete videos of extreme choices. The depression gallery involved in the recent issue has not been closed, as far as I know. There is no law to sanction them.

Portals should be held socially responsible. Other countries have started legislating. Since they earn money through advertising, they have a responsibility to keep their products clean. If someone is harmed by their product, they should compensate for the damage. This responsibility is now being enforced. In foreign countries, if a site facilitates child prostitution, the portal collapses. With AI development, monitoring can be done more easily if there is will.

Society seems too indifferent to “out-of-school youth.”

Yes. Such youths become victims and then turn into perpetrators, ending up in juvenile detention centers. Some girls enter juvenile detention for forced prostitution mediation. What does this mean? How does a teenage girl become a sex offender? It turns out victims become perpetrators. They become part of runaway families, repeatedly get pregnant and abort, and the market that exploits the youngest children in these groups has become firmly established.

When I talk about this, I am labeled a feminist. Does this make any sense? Because of this situation, most young people cannot possibly have children in such a dangerous world. The older generation does not listen to these stories because it is not their child’s problem. They think it is a special case that is not visible and distant from themselves. But these youths are not a small number now.

This professor is giving a lecture at the '2019 Asia Women Leaders Forum' hosted by Asia Economy. Photo by Hyunmin Kim kimhyun81@

What measures do you think are necessary?

It has reached a point where it is difficult to turn back. They are even getting involved with drugs. Nowadays, drug organizations recruit teenagers because they are less suspicious. They contract them as part-time workers, promising “10 million won per month.” Delinquent youths are increasingly involved in drugs. If teenagers start using drugs, the country is doomed. The level of drugs traded in the market has reached a dangerous level. Offline patrols are no longer necessary. Since the problem is online, patrols should be conducted online. Why waste time outside? The problem is online.

Qualifications for online counseling should be controlled by the state. No country leaves it as it is like now. The state should regulate qualifications, prohibit unqualified people from opening online clinics using the term counseling, and supervise whether they provide functional counseling. While adults fight over roles like doctors and nurses, children are dying.

Some argue that punishment for juvenile crime should be strengthened.

The more society isolates them, especially teenagers, the more monstrous they become. Sending them to prison is not a solution. Removing them for three years will not make them human when they come out. Therefore, the social function of education must be significantly enhanced, but it is currently blocked. The Ministry of Education monopolizes all authority. If educational guidelines for public education are not followed, academic credits are not recognized.

But is that enough? Why must all children go to university? Why not recognize alternative schools with dormitories that provide education to become human without university credits? Local schools will collapse without these children anyway. Why not allow small alternative schools where they farm and raise animals?

The increase in suicide rates among elementary school students is also shocking.

This is a clear example showing the need for prompt action. The proportion of those under 15 among extreme choice cases rose from 0.3% in 2016 to 1.2% in 2021. Meanwhile, those over 60 decreased from 55.6% to 43.8%. Anyone preparing for the future should seriously pay attention to this statistic.

It makes no sense. In a country with various laws to protect children, why do children commit suicide? Because they are directly exposed to online sexual exploitation and similar dangers. It seems necessary to drastically change the elementary school curriculum. Although various preventive education is conducted, it is superficial, and the risks of falling into online dangers are not accurately understood. Neither children nor parents know well, and schools do not even want to know much. Isn’t this a crisis?

[Who is Professor Lee Su-jeong?]

Born in Seoul in 1964. Graduated from Yonsei University Department of Psychology, earned a master's degree in psychology from the University of Iowa, and a doctorate in psychology from Yonsei University. Served as an advisory member for forensic science at the National Police Agency, an expert advisory member for the Supreme Prosecutors' Office, and president of the Korean Society of Women Psychologists. Currently a professor in the Department of Criminal Psychology at Kyonggi University and actively appears on various broadcasts. Author of Latest Criminal Psychology, Psychopaths Hide in the Shadows of Everyday Life, and Criminal Psychology Dissection Notes, among others.