[Inside Chodong] Sillim-dong Knife Rampage Is Not an Exceptional Deviation

Last month, Chosun (33), who wielded a weapon in Sillim-dong, Gwanak-gu, Seoul, causing four casualties, considered himself unhappy. He told the police, "I live unhappily, and I wanted to make others unhappy too." No one commits crimes out of happiness in the first place. What stands out in his words is not ‘unhappiness’ but the comparative psychology of ‘others too.’

Self-help books numbering in the hundreds and thousands, which say, "To be happy, stop comparing. Look inside yourself. You are the protagonist of the world," could not stop Mr. Cho.

The sentiment of "I am unhappier than others" might be an emotion that permeates the current era. Especially for Koreans, this is even more true. The competitive comparative psychology to live better than cousins, neighbors, or North Korea was, on one hand, the driving force behind the miracle of the Korean economy.

The advent of social networking services (SNS) has amplified comparative psychology. First, the number of comparison targets has become overwhelmingly large. Whereas comparisons used to be made only with neighbors or acquaintances, now they are made against society as a whole. The happiness and romance endlessly displayed on SNS?new products, overseas trips, popular restaurants?bring joy to viewers but also cause distress. SNS was the new prologue to the war of all against all.

It is hard to deny that comparative psychology has given life purpose and acted as an inexhaustible energy source, but the problem is that the gap between ideals and reality is growing uncontrollably.

Already, about half (45.6%) of the Korean middle class perceive themselves as lower class. Here, the middle class is defined based on the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) standard of households with an equivalized median income between 75% and 200%. The proportion of middle-class people who consider themselves lower class was 40.5% in the 2020 survey. The class perception of the middle class is declining over time, and accordingly, unhappiness is increasing.

According to the ‘2022 Middle-Class Report’ published by NH Investment & Securities’ 100-Year Life Research Institute in September last year, middle-class respondents thought that a monthly income of 6.86 million won (for a four-person household) was necessary to be middle class. 6.86 million won corresponds to the top 24% of household income. They also believed that a net asset of about 940 million won was required to be middle class for a four-person household, which is actually the top 11%. The institute interpreted this as "a gap between ideals and reality."

Not only have the number of comparison targets increased, but even the benchmark of the average has risen. The social structure that has fulfilled the desire for recognition through comparison with others is bound to be shaken at this point.

Among the concepts recalled whenever a tragedy occurs is ‘Heinrich’s Law.’ It states that for every accident with one fatality, 29 people were injured in the same way before, and 300 people were almost injured for the same reason. In other words, there are several warning signs before an incident, and if ignored, a major disaster occurs. The Sillim-dong incident should not be dismissed as a ‘random attack’ committed by an outlier. Rather than an exceptional deviation, it is a universal risk latent in modern times. It goes without saying whose role and responsibility it is to control and manage this universal risk.

Issue 2 Team Leader