"COVID-19 → Social Deficiency → Weapon Rampage" Diagnosis by Professor Lee Soo-jung

"Due to Long-Term Socialization Process Deficiency...
Murder Threat Posts Intensify Fear"

There is a claim that the background of recent violent stabbing incidents that have shaken society is related to the prolonged period of non-face-to-face social interactions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

"A Foreseen Situation in the Prolonged COVID-19 Non-Face-to-Face Society... Murder Threat Posts Heighten Anxiety"

Professor Lee Sujeong, Department of Criminal Psychology, Kyonggi University. Photo by Huh Younghan younghan@

On the 28th, Professor Lee Soo-jung of the Department of Criminal Psychology at Kyonggi University, who appeared on YTN Radio's 'Shin Yul's News Face-off,' stated in response to a question about whether the stabbing incidents occurring worldwide, including in Korea and Germany, are related to COVID-19, "I believe they are very closely related," and made this claim.

Professor Lee explained, "As society became non-face-to-face for a long time, the process of socialization was deficient. As a result, various suppressed feelings temporarily erupted once face-to-face society resumed."

He added, "There were concerns that issues submerged beneath the surface worldwide would resurface, and this is consistent with expectations abroad that terrorism would increase after COVID-19."

Professor Lee also said, "In the case of stabbing incidents, it is not just one homogeneous type of crime. While some incidents still occur at night as before, recently they have been happening during the daytime and at various times."

When asked if this is linked to recent situational characteristics, Professor Lee replied, "While such incidents do exist, looking at the cases in Eunpyeong-gu and Yeongcheon, they are actually similar to incidents that have happened before."

He added, "In the past, stabbing incidents often occurred during conflicts while having a drink in the evening. However, nowadays, with murder threat posts from younger generations creating anxiety, fear of crime has intensified compared to before."

"Building a System for Continued Treatment of Mental Illness Patients Is Important; Revising the Term 'Abnormal Motive Crime' Was Statistically Necessary"

[Image source=Yonhap News]

Regarding the existing claim that the proportion of mental illness patients causing incidents is low, Professor Lee explained, "Among the entire population of mental illness patients, only a very small minority actually engage in violent behavior. If symptoms are managed from a mental health perspective, the likelihood of impulsive acts is much lower. However, many of those who engage in risky behavior are cases where treatment was discontinued."

He said, "Since the revision of the Mental Health Welfare Act, treatment cannot be forced against the patient's will, leading to many cases of treatment discontinuation. The government has proposed establishing mental emergency response centers at the local government level to facilitate emergency hospitalization and ensure that emergency hospitalization leads to continuous treatment."

When asked whether a history of mental illness is a mitigating factor, he said, "It can be mitigating depending on the case, but the priority is not whether full criminal responsibility is taken or mitigation is granted, but rather establishing a system that allows for compulsory treatment. Even minor illegal acts that require emergency hospitalization should be managed and supervised psychiatrically afterward, so it is necessary to create a system connecting the criminal justice system and mental health system."

Regarding the replacement of the term 'random crime' with 'abnormal motive crime,' he said, "Personally, I don't think the terminology is that important. The diagnostic names related to mental illness have changed several times, but the overall situation has not significantly changed."

However, he added, "If the National Police Agency wants to produce statistics, appropriate statistical criteria are necessary. Changing the term to 'abnormal motive' as a standard can be seen as a useful definition from the police agency's perspective."

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