Can We Prevent Repeated 'Mutjima Assaults'?

A Woman Attacked in a Random Assault at a Cafe in Daegu
Expert: "Aggravated Punishment Needed by Considering Motive in Sentencing Process"

On the 5th, a man suddenly swung his fist at a woman in a cafe in downtown Daegu. Photo by SBS Broadcast Capture

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Choyoung] A woman at a cafe was brutally assaulted by a man she did not know, resulting in a fractured cheekbone and other severe injuries. Despite past incidents of similar 'random assaults' leading to stricter punishments and measures, concerns are rising as such cases continue unabated.

According to media reports, the incident occurred on the 7th at a cafe in Daegu. A man visiting the coffee shop sat next to the victim and demanded that she move her bag. The woman reportedly responded, "If you ask me to move it, I will." Suddenly, the man began hitting her head. The woman eventually lost consciousness from the indiscriminate assault, but the man continued to grab her shoulder, glare at her face, and swing his fists.

This kind of 'random assault' is not unprecedented. In May last year, a woman suffered a severely depressed cheekbone from a random assault at Seoul Station, sparking national outrage.

At that time, a post on the Blue House National Petition Board stated, "Despite the incident occurring at 1 p.m. in broad daylight at Seoul Station, the police responded that it was difficult to catch the suspect because it happened in a CCTV blind spot, which is very absurd," and added, "We petition for the prompt identification of the Seoul Station random assault suspect and the installation of CCTV throughout Seoul Station."

'Seoul Station Random Assault' victim's post uploaded on social networking service (SNS). Photo by Instagram capture

Unlike general crimes with specific motives such as jealousy or grudges, the motives behind these random crimes are mostly unclear. Typically, the perpetrator vents frustrations or hatred toward society or reality onto someone else. Because many of these cases involve violent crimes such as murder, they cause social anxiety by making anyone a potential victim, which worsens the nature of the crime.

The problem is that these crimes continue without pause. While public opinion calls for harsher punishments when incidents occur, actual legal reforms or practical measures are difficult to implement.

After a woman was murdered with a weapon by a stranger in a karaoke room restroom near Exit 10 of Gangnam Station in Seoul in 2016, the seriousness of 'random crimes' was once again discussed in our society. However, similar crimes still occur, and calls for tougher punishments have not diminished.

In response, the 21st National Assembly has seen moves to strengthen penalties for random crimes, including proposals to impose aggravated punishments. In November last year, Rep. Cho Kyung-tae of the People Power Party introduced a partial amendment to the 'Act on the Aggravated Punishment of Specific Crimes,' allowing penalties for random crimes to be doubled.

Rep. Cho stated, "As various social, cultural, and economic problems deepen, social anxiety is spreading that anyone can become a victim of random crimes. This amendment aims to strengthen social protection for these individuals and symbolically signal that such crimes will be severely punished."

Experts predict that proving the motive in random crimes will be difficult, posing challenges even if the law is enacted.

Professor Oh Yoon-sung of the Department of Police Administration at Soonchunhyang University said, "Because the motives of perpetrators in random crimes are ambiguous, it is difficult to judge them. Even if a law specifies the motive, proving it will not be easy." He added, "Rather than creating new laws, it is preferable for judges to carefully examine the perpetrator's motive during sentencing and impose punishment accordingly."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.