[News Terms] It Should Be Called 'Abnormal Motive Crime' Instead of 'Random Crime'

'Abnormal motive crime (異常動機犯罪)' refers to violent crimes committed against unspecified many with unclear or unusual motives.

Commonly known as "random attacks" in the media, the police officially adopted the English term "abnormal motive crime" in January last year and began recording statistics under this designation.

The police are installing CCTV cameras to prevent crime.
[Photo by Asia Economy DB]

Random attacks had not been classified in police statistics nor seriously analyzed academically due to the lack of typical characteristics in such cases. However, when the police concluded the 2016 Gangnam Station female murder case as a "random attack by a mentally ill person," discussions intensified on whether it is appropriate to define various crimes as "random murders" excluding social structural issues.

Professor Ahn Sang-won of Semyung University raised concerns in his paper "A Study and Tendency Analysis of Abnormal Motive Crimes" published in Korean Crime Information Review, stating, "The term 'random attack' may give the impression that the problem lies in an individual's tendency to commit indiscriminate violence without any motive, which can lead to misunderstanding the motives and causes of the crime."

Professors Park Ji-sun of Sookmyung Women's University and Choi Nak-beom of Seoul National University, in their paper "Characteristics and Types of Random Attacks: Focusing on Case Analysis" published in Korean Journal of Psychology: Law, argued that "individuals become socially isolated and repeatedly fail in interpersonal relationships, losing judgment and moral reasoning, or blaming society for their failures while dehumanizing victims to justify their violent acts," emphasizing the need for classification and management of random attacks.

Prime Minister Han Duck-soo is leaving the press conference room after delivering a statement on August 23 at the Government Seoul Office in Jongno-gu, Seoul, to prevent the recurrence of 'abnormal motivation crimes.'
[Photo by Yonhap News]

Accordingly, since January 2022, the police have officially named previously unrecorded random attacks as "abnormal motive crimes" and have intensified related crime analysis, statistical collection, and response measures. The National Police Agency's Forensic Investigation Division leads a task force (TF) on abnormal motive crimes, involving departments such as violent crime investigation, women and youth investigation, and public order, sharing and reviewing measures for suspect processing and victim protection.

Additionally, the Criminal Justice Information System (KICS) has added a checkbox for "abnormal motive crime" in case classification. When the investigating officer requests a review, crime analysts examine the suspect's history of mental illness and the relationship between victim and perpetrator to ultimately confirm and classify the case as an "abnormal motive crime" for statistical purposes.

The government officially uses the term "abnormal motive crime" instead of "random attack." On August 23, Prime Minister Han Duck-soo used the term "abnormal motive crime" in a statement announcing strengthened public safety measures following a series of heinous crimes in subway stations and downtown areas.