Even a Scream of "Ah" Causes "Weapon Rampage" Panic...Nationwide Mass Panic Over Heinous Crimes

Chaos at Dongjak Station Shelter Mistaken for Weapon Rampage
"Anxiety Very High, Response Threshold Lowered"

On the afternoon of the 24th at around 7:50 PM, a man in his 70s, passenger A, collapsed inside a train passing through Dongjak Station on Seoul Subway Line 9, prompting his family nearby to scream. The train was delayed for 5 minutes to perform cardiopulmonary resuscitation on Mr. A. Other passengers panicked and evacuated. The police received reports of a 'weapon rampage,' and social networking services (SNS) were flooded with questions like "What is happening at Dongjak Station?" Passengers mistook the startled family’s screams for a weapon rampage.

This summer, the nation has been on high alert following a series of heinous crimes such as the 'Shillim Station weapon rampage,' 'Seohyeon Station weapon rampage,' and the 'Gwanaksan Trail rape and murder.' As anxiety in daily life spreads, various false reports including weapon possession have continued. Voices are calling for measures to stabilize the heightened public anxiety.

Yoon Hee-geun, Commissioner of the National Police Agency (right), is conducting a special security activity site inspection at Jamsil Station, Songpa-gu, Seoul, on the afternoon of the 5th.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

◆Rising Crime Anxiety... Consecutive False Reports= Over the past month, citizens have been troubled by continuous reports of violent crimes. The cases include Cho Seon (33), who wielded a weapon at Shillim Station causing 4 casualties; Choi Wonjong (22), who drove a car onto the sidewalk and then went on a weapon rampage at Bundang Seohyeon Station causing 14 casualties; and Choi Yoonjong (30), who assaulted and sexually assaulted a woman near the Gwanaksan Trail, resulting in her death. Additionally, over 460 'murder threat posts' appeared online, heightening public anxiety.

This anxiety has led to false reports and evacuation chaos. Besides the Dongjak Station incident, on the 6th, a rapid train bound for Gimpo Airport on Line 9 received reports such as 'there is a gas smell' and 'someone is committing a weapon rampage,' causing passengers to evacuate. Fire and police inspections confirmed these were false reports. On the 26th, a train on Seoul Metropolitan Subway Line 1 running from Yongsan Station to Noryangjin Station stopped on the Hangang Bridge due to a report of 'a passenger carrying a weapon.' It was later confirmed that a passenger had taken an item out of a bag and thrown it, which was mistaken for a weapon. No weapon was found at the scene.

Experts point out that the fact that violent crimes are occurring against unspecified individuals is increasing public anxiety. This is known as a 'collective panic' phenomenon, where even those who have not directly experienced the incidents develop an underlying fear through frequent exposure via media, fearing crime could happen anytime and anywhere. Similar collective panic occurred during the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic and the Itaewon tragedy. Professor Lim Myeongho of Dankook University’s Department of Psychological Therapy explained, "When a group maintains anxiety through conformity, it can be seen as collective panic. With random attacks occurring, not only between individuals but also among groups, anxiety is not reduced but rather escalated into fear. Our society’s anxiety is very high, and the threshold for reacting to anxiety (the minimum stimulus that triggers a response) has also significantly lowered."

On the afternoon of the 24th, a commotion occurred at Dongjak Station on Seoul Subway Line 9 as passengers evacuated, mistaking the situation for a stabbing incident. Posts questioning what was happening at Dongjak Station were uploaded on the social networking service X (formerly Twitter).
Photo by Twitter Capture

◆"Spreading Reassuring Messages and Counseling Needed to Reduce Anxiety"= Police and local governments have taken follow-up measures to alleviate public anxiety. Police have deployed armored vehicles and special police forces throughout the city and expanded random inspections. The ruling party has proposed a legislative amendment to punish crimes involving posting murder threats online. The amendment adds 'information openly displaying intent to kill or harm people to threaten the public' to the category of illegal information, with violations punishable by up to 3 years imprisonment or fines up to 30 million won. The Ministry of Justice is also pushing for a criminal law amendment to establish a public intimidation offense for indiscriminate crime threats against unspecified masses.

Experts believe that these measures should be implemented as swiftly as possible to help reduce public anxiety. Professor Kwak Geumju of Seoul National University’s Department of Psychology said, "Consistently communicating reassuring messages to the public while continuing security measures is essential. Continuously and rapidly developing and resolving institutional improvements such as strengthening punishment for murder threat posts will help lower public anxiety." This means instilling belief that daily environments can become safer to help people regain 'psychological stability.'

There are also calls to expand the infrastructure so that citizens caught in collective panic can actively receive counseling and treatment. Professor Lee Juyeol of Namseoul University’s Department of Health Administration said, "It is necessary to expand the operation of mental health centers at public health centers and install related programs at social welfare centers so that those who want counseling or treatment for mental health stability can participate without burden." Professor Lee Donggwi of Yonsei University’s Department of Psychology added, "Although mental health-related academic societies and public institutions in Korea provide mental health management services, they are fragmented and inconsistent, and many people are unaware of them. It is necessary to systematize public systems related to mental health management and actively promote them."

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