"I Have Nothing to Lose"... Japan's Experience Facing the Fear of Random Crimes First

'Invincible Person' Neologism Emerges
Those Excluded from Society Rebel Against It
"The State Must Identify Motives Behind Random Crimes"

"I am a useless person."

Rim Weapon Assault Suspect Chosun
[Photo by Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency]

On the 21st, Chosun (33), who stabbed and killed a stranger near Sillim Station in Seoul, said this in front of the press. Recently, as 'random attacks'?crimes committed against unspecified individuals out of malice?have been occurring one after another, the anxiety within civil society is also growing.

Random attacks are not only happening domestically. Neighboring Japan also struggled in the early 2000s with criminals who killed others without clear motives. A new term, "Muteki no Hito" (無敵の人), meaning "invincible person," was coined to describe them. It refers to people who have already been marginalized by society and have nothing left to lose, thus not fearing even criminal punishment.

"I want to make others unhappy" - Repeated random attacks

'Shillim Station Stabbing Incident' Chosun (33)
Photo by Yonhap News

According to the police, Chosun stole two knives from a nearby mart and then went to Sillim Station, where he wielded the knives. His crime resulted in the death of a man in his 20s and injuries to three men in their 30s. After the attack, he sat on the stairs in front of a nearby sports center and was arrested on the spot by the police.

In the police investigation, he stated, "I live unhappily, so I wanted to make others unhappy," and "I committed the crime filled with anger." He did not harbor hatred toward a specific person but indiscriminately attacked unspecified individuals without any particular motive.

Crimes that indiscriminately attack unspecified individuals have emerged as a social problem in Korea. Last year, the police classified these as "abnormal motive crimes" and formed a special team to devise countermeasures.

Several abnormal motive crimes have occurred this year alone. In May, in Busan, a man in his 30s assaulted a woman in her 20s whom he did not know, in what was called the "roundhouse kick man" incident. On May 26, Jeong Yujeong (23) shocked the public by killing a peer victim and mutilating the body.

Japan's "Muteki no Hito": "No hesitation in crime because there is nothing to lose"

2008 Akihabara Station 'Random Murder' Incident Site [Image Source=Yonhap News]

Random attacks are dangerous because they target unspecified individuals and their motives are difficult to understand. Anyone can become a target, and prediction is difficult. As random attacks have increased recently, it is reported that not only women but also men have started seeking self-defense products in online shopping malls.

However, these random attacks are not only a topic in Korea. Neighboring Japan also suffered from random attacks since the early 2000s.

There have been many large-scale incidents with numerous victims. In 2008, in the famous bustling district of Akihabara, a man drove a truck onto a crosswalk, hitting pedestrians, then got out and stabbed passersby indiscriminately, killing seven people. In November 2021, a man dressed as the villain "Joker" from the movie "Batman" attempted a stabbing and arson attack on a subway and was arrested by the police. Seventeen people were injured in this incident.

The motives given by those arrested were generally similar: "I am tired of life," "I want to kill happy people," and so on. Most of them reportedly lived isolated lives from society.

Founder and entrepreneur of Japan's largest online community 2channel (2ch), Nishimura Hiroyuki
[Image source=YouTube]

These criminals have been labeled with the internet slang "Muteki no Hito" (invincible person). This term was first coined by Nishimura Hiroyuki, the founder of Japan's largest online community 2ch (2channel) and an internet entrepreneur. He defines a Muteki no Hito as "a person who has nothing to lose socially and can commit crimes without hesitation."

He argues that Muteki no Hito are "the result of society excluding humans." In a YouTube broadcast last year, Hiroyuki said, "About 20,000 people in Japan commit extreme acts every year. These are people excluded from society. But if society excludes humans, won't those humans eventually rebel against society? It is somewhat natural that excluded humans do not uphold 'social order.'"

Will "Muteki no Hito" reappear domestically? "More proactive management of young adults needed"

A memorial space near Sillim Station in Seoul, where a stabbing incident occurred. [Image source=Provided by reader]

Japan's "Muteki no Hito" seem to share some similarities with Korea's abnormal motive criminals. Both Chosun and Jeong Yujeong stated that they "disliked seeing people happy."

According to a related seminar hosted by the Korean National Police Agency and the Korean Society of Cultural and Social Psychology in 2021, an analysis of abnormal motive criminals in 2017 showed that out of 48 individuals, 31 were in their 30s and 40s, and 35 had no monthly income at all.

Experts evaluate these crimes as "crimes born from inferiority complexes about what they do not have." Dr. Seung Jae-hyun of the Criminal Law and Policy Research Institute said in an interview with CBS's "Kim Hyun-jung's News Show" on the 24th, "(Chosun, Jeong Yujeong, etc.) had accumulated personal anger toward their peers. These crimes were born from inferiority, anger, envy, and jealousy."

Dr. Seung also pointed out, "Although it is a personal matter, both Jeong Yujeong and Chosun lacked a 'purpose-driven life.' Jeong Yujeong simply lived with her grandmother and grandfather, and Chosun was in the same situation."

He emphasized, "I believe there is no such thing as a 'random attack.' The state has just failed to find the motive. If we find the commonality, we can identify these people and know how to support them. I think the state needs to manage young adults more proactively or have some form of information gathering."

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