240,000 'Eundunhyeong Oetori' Youth... Becoming a Chronic Issue Like Japan's Dorima Crime?

'Street Devil' Dorima, Meaning Indiscriminate Massacre
"If Neglected, Crime Methods Evolve, Becoming Uncontrollable"

Concerns are rising that indiscriminate stabbing murder incidents targeting unspecified masses could become as serious as the Dorima crimes in Japan. Dorima means 'street devil' and refers to indiscriminate mass killings.

Recently, the commonality between Cho Seon (33), who wielded a weapon indiscriminately in Sillim-dong, Gwanak-gu, Seoul, and Choi Won-jong (22), who caused 14 casualties with a vehicle and a weapon at Seohyeon Station in Bundang-gu, Seongnam-si, Gyeonggi Province, is that both were isolated loners disconnected from society.

Cho Seon had three prior convictions and faced juvenile court 14 times, living without a particular job after graduating high school. In Choi Won-jong's case, he was diagnosed with schizophrenia personality disorder in 2020 but refused treatment and was understood to have lived alone working as a delivery worker until recently.

On the morning of the 10th, Choi Won-jong, the suspect in the 'Bundang Stabbing Incident' that occurred on the 3rd, is being transferred from the Seongnam Sujeong Police Station detention center in Sujeong-gu, Seongnam-si, Gyeonggi-do to the prosecution. Photo by Yonhap News

Professor Lee Soo-jung of the Department of Criminal Psychology at Kyonggi University expressed concern that if such indiscriminate crimes are left unchecked, the methods of crime will evolve, making control impossible in 10 to 20 years. On the 11th, on SBS Radio's 'Kim Tae-hyun's Political Show,' Professor Lee said, "In Japan, there have been many incidents of rushing into public places with weapons or vehicles," adding, "Leaving that unchecked and not strictly regulating it eventually led to losing former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe to a homemade explosive, and Prime Minister Fumio Kishida almost died as well."

Japan has studied Dorima crimes for nearly 20 years, but similar incidents continue. In October 2021, a man dressed as the villain 'Joker' from the movie 'Batman' set fire by pouring oil in a subway and wielded a knife, injuring 17 people, and was sentenced to 23 years in prison. On the 9th, a man in his 20s also carried out a stabbing at a convenience store in Tokyo, Japan, seriously injuring a female employee in her 40s and a male employee in his 60s.

The United States also misses the 'golden time' to prevent gun crimes, resulting in continuous large-scale shootings.

Professor Lee said, "In the U.S., the first mass shooting at a post office occurred in 1986, and discussions related to gun control took place then," adding, "However, because of rights related to personal safety and others, control was not enforced, and now shootings are rampant, with hundreds dying daily from gun violence. The Obama administration made great efforts to legislate gun control laws, but those efforts also failed."

The suspect, Cho Seon, in the 'Shillim-dong Stabbing Incident' that resulted in four casualties, is being transferred from Seoul Gwanak Police Station to the prosecution on the morning of July 28. Photo by Yonhap News

She warned, "At this point, with the Jeong Yoo-jung case, the Sillim Station incident, the Seohyeon Station incident, and numerous murder threat posts flooding in, if our country becomes lenient, irreversible events could occur."

Professor Lee said, "(In Japan) all social relationships are severed, and vague fears and anxieties about society are vented, leading to Dorima killings as a form of revenge crime. Efforts are made to reduce hikikomori (loners)," adding, "In our country, there are about 240,000 people with similar conditions to hikikomori."

She continued, "Among them, it is known that about 24,000 people are completely disconnected from social relationships and do not make efforts to find employment," and said, "Referring to Japan's precedent, if we can somehow bring these 24,000 people into social services, we might be able to reduce their risk."