[Report] Visiting Seongdong Life Safety Learning Center's 'Self-Defense Training'
'Random Crimes' on the Rise... 'Escaping' Also Requires Training
“Breaking the wrist or kicking the groin is useless in real situations without training,” “Buy yourself the golden 10 seconds and run away with all your strength.” As stabbing incidents have recently increased, more people are seeking self-defense training. The photo shows the 'Everyday Self-Defense Safety Training' organized by Seongdong District Office on the 20th. (Photo by Minjin Kim enter@)
“One, yes” “Two, yes”... “Nine, okay” “Ten, okay” “Applause”
“Keep blocking, you have to block”
“Push with your left hand, strike with your right!” “Hold the bag, one-two one-two”
At noon on Sunday the 20th, the sound of bags colliding and commands echoed through the first-floor training room of Seongdong Life Safety Learning Center in Majang-dong, Seongdong-gu, Seoul. Most of the trainees, women in their 20s and 30s, repeatedly trained to block weapons wielded by the instructor and escape with all their might.
Although laughter was often heard during the practice, as the instructor’s attacks repeated and gradually intensified, the face of the trainee practicing one-on-one turned red, clearly showing signs of embarrassment. The instructor pushed the trainees to an extreme, realistic level, and tension briefly filled the training room.
"Buy the Golden Time and Run with All Your Might"
“Defense must be calm yet proactive. You have to hold the bag with both hands and extend it at the right timing to prevent the knife from getting in. If you don’t stay alert and defend actively, you can’t escape the situation. It sounds easy, but it’s difficult in real situations. If you don’t practice dangerous situations in advance, you’ll freeze and be unable to move your body in an actual emergency.”
Jeon Seong-yong, head instructor at the Korean Arnis Association Self-Defense Center, who led the self-defense lecture and practice, emphasized, “Twisting wrists or kicking the groin won’t work in real situations without training. You have to buy the golden time of 10 seconds and run with all your might to increase your survival chances.” He asserted that unless you are a trained expert who has built strength through consistent practice, you cannot overpower or resist an attacker who charges at you with intent. Jeon advised, “Defense should use tools, so always carry a bag or at least a self-defense tool like a Kubotan that you can quickly take out.” An electronic self-defense whistle is also a useful tool for escape.
Jeon said, “In a desperate situation, when would you take out pepper spray from your handbag and spray it? Even if someone thinks the whistle sound will bring help, that’s a misconception. You should think of it as a tool useful for escaping when the attacker is startled by a loud noise.” He also advised, “Now, you should refrain from wearing earphones or being distracted by your phone in unsafe places.”
A participant in the self-defense training is blocking an attack with all their strength from an instructor playing the role of an assailant. (Photo by Seongdong-gu)
How Did It Come to This... It’s No Laughing Matter
On that day, 20 trainees were divided into two groups led by head instructor Jeon and female instructor Ko Kyung-ah from the Self-Defense Center, practicing for over an hour and a half. Training sometimes used practice sticks, but the instructor repeatedly conducted one-on-one drills with model knives that looked exactly like real weapons in shape and color.
Jeon explained, “In real situations, people freeze when they see a silver weapon. To cope, you need training, which means repeatedly simulating expected scenarios on routes you frequently take and consistently practicing proactive defense to protect vital points.” He said that to survive a knife attack, you must protect vital points such as the carotid artery, airway, and major organs like the heart, lungs, and spleen.
When defending with a bag, you must raise it to chest height and extend and retract your arms at the right timing for quick defense. If escape is impossible, you should use self-defense tools like a Kubotan (a pen-shaped keychain used to stab the opponent like an awl) to stab vital points such as the collarbone, chest, or eye sockets. However, without prior practice imagining this scenario, you won’t be able to do it in real situations.
Instructor Ko said, “Knife attackers often strike downward or stab upward, and since most are right-handed, defense training should consider these factors.”
The training was conducted enjoyably with laughter breaking out occasionally, but the reality was serious. The couple Choi Jae-kyung (54) and Choi Seung-hee (50), who attended together, said, “We applied for the training because of the recent increase in indiscriminate knife attacks, and we realized that actually experiencing it physically is very different from just thinking about it. The reality is bitter, but if possible, we definitely want to recommend it to our daughter who is a high school senior.”
Self-Defense Training Sold Out in 6 Hours
That day was the second day of the ‘Everyday Self-Defense Safety Training’ organized by Seongdong-gu Office for residents. In response to recent ‘random crimes’ such as urban knife rampages, Seongdong-gu quickly prepared a self-defense training program. The sessions were scheduled on weekends?12th, 20th, 27th of this month, and 2nd of next month?with 15 participants per session, totaling 60 people. However, after the announcement earlier this month, applications flooded in, so the number per session was increased to 20, accepting 80 participants. Even then, registration closed within 6 hours on the day of opening.
The high popularity of self-defense training reflects a stark reality. From last year’s ‘Busan spinning kick incident’ to recent knife rampages at Sillim Station and Bundang Seohyeon Station, the fear that ‘safe zones have disappeared’ has spread nationwide. Office worker Seo Min-ji (28) said, “I pass by Wangsimni Station every day commuting, and I was very shocked by the recent murder threat incident there. That’s why I thought I should learn self-defense that can actually help.” University student Moon Ga-hyun (20) said, “I’ve always been interested in self-defense and watched YouTube videos, but I doubted if it would work in real life. I want to keep learning self-defense skills that I can use in daily life.”
Seongdong-gu is considering making self-defense training a permanent program. Kang Sung-ho, director of Seongdong Life Safety Learning Center, said, “We plan to review whether to organize self-defense training as a regular course based on trainees’ feedback and evaluations.”
As "random crimes" continued, Seongdong-gu urgently prepared a self-defense training program. The photo shows Go Kyung-ah, an instructor at the Korea Arnis Association Self-Defense Center, simulating an attack on a trainee. (Photo by Seongdong-gu)
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