Why Feeling Anxious and Depressed? The Big Impact of Random Attacks with Knives and Roundhouse Kicks

Shinrim-dong Stabbing, Busan Dolryeochigi Man and Other Heinous Crimes
Significant Impact on Koreans' Anxiety, Depression, and Mental Health
"Need for a Mental Health Platform"

CCTV footage related to the 'Busan Seomyeon Roundhouse Kick Attempted Rape and Murder Case' that occurred on May 22 last year (Source=Yonhap News)

The random stabbing incident in Sillim-dong, the spinning kick man in Busan, and the weapon rampage at Seohyeon Station were found to be the social issues that had the greatest impact on the mental health of Koreans in the first half of this year. Many people experienced negative mental effects such as anxiety and depression after hearing about these heinous crimes through the media.

At the discussion titled "Improving National Mental Health and the Role of IT (hosted by Rep. Shin Hyun-young of the Democratic Party)" held on the 26th at Seminar Room 2 in the National Assembly Members' Office Building, Professor Yoo Hyun-jae of Sogang University's Department of Journalism and Mass Communication presented the results of a "National Mental Health Trend Awareness" survey conducted on 1,000 general men and women (490 men, 510 women; multiple responses allowed).

This survey was prepared to explore a national mental health response system amid the situation where the suicide rate of Koreans was the highest among OECD countries at 24.1 per 100,000 people as of 2020. According to the 'OECD Health Statistics' released by the Ministry of Health and Welfare in July, Korea's suicide rate of 24.1 per 100,000 far exceeds the OECD average of 11.

Following random weapon rampages (312 respondents), the issues that had a significant impact on mental health were ▲political dissatisfaction (discontent with the administration) (289 respondents), ▲economic difficulties (high inflation, high interest rates, economic recession, real estate crash) (251 respondents), ▲war (Russia-Turkiye, Israel-Hamas war) (190 respondents), and ▲fear of infectious diseases such as COVID-19 (182 respondents), in that order.

There were differences by gender and generation. For women, random murder and violence incidents had a significant impact on mental health. Men reported that dissatisfaction related to President Yoon Suk-yeol's overseas trips, First Lady Kim Geon-hee's bribery allegations, and political conflicts greatly affected their mental health. People in their 50s and 60s reacted strongly to political dissatisfaction and economic difficulties, those in their 30s resonated with the economic recession, and those in their 20s were greatly affected by random weapon rampages. People in their 40s were relatively evenly influenced by all issues.

Men tend to respond to political and economic issues, while women show a stronger reaction to social issues such as murder and assault cases. (Source: Professor Yoo Hyun-jae, Department of Journalism and Broadcasting, Sogang University)

People in their 20s experience significant stress from random knife attacks, those in their 30s from economic recession, and people in their 50s and 60s from political issues (Source: Hyunjae Yoo, Professor of Journalism and Mass Communication, Sogang University).

Professor Yoo, who conducted the survey, stated, "Many people reported negative mental health effects such as depression and disappointment due to the negative issues they encountered through the media," adding, "There were also many responses indicating feelings of discouragement and depression after watching the news."

Professor Han Chang-soo of Korea University’s Department of Psychiatry, who participated as a panelist in the discussion, said, "The emotions expressed by a group are as natural and expected as individual emotions," and emphasized, "It is necessary to measure the emotional changes of society as a whole, accurately identify those emotions, and prepare medical support accordingly." Professor Kim Jun-hyung of Korea University’s Department of Psychiatry also stated, "Regarding the high suicide rate among Koreans, it is necessary to collect and link mental health assessment data to create a mental health platform that can prevent suicides in advance."

Rep. Shin Hyun-young, a member of the National Assembly’s Health and Welfare Committee, said, "When the video of the Sillim-dong stabbing crime spread through social media and the Busan spinning kick incident became an issue, the peaceful daily lives of the people were shaken by fear," adding, "In a situation where there are concerns that a 'red light' has been turned on for the mental health of the Korean people, it is important to establish a proactive mental health management system to prevent socio-economic losses."

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