after the May 17 murder. (by Kim Bong-kyu
“I did it because women have always ignored me.”This quote by a 34-year-old surnamed Kim after his brutal random stabbing murder of a woman in her twenties in the middle of Seoul’s busy Gangnam neighborhood has triggered a major response in South Korea. On May 19, growing numbers of mourners came to pay respects to or leave post-It messages for the victim in front of exit 10 Gangnam Station. The visits, which had begun the day before, left the area around the exit almost impassable with chrysanthemums and condolence wreaths. Students at Korea University and other schools have begun putting up posters and post-it notes bearing the hashtag “#survived.”
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A post-it note to the Gangnam murder victim
Seoul’s Seocho Police Station, which is investigating the incident, said its preliminary profiler interview found “no specific cases of [Kim] having been victimized by women.”“Mr. Kim, appears to have generally felt victimized due to paranoia,” the station added.But many South Koreans are seeing the attack as an example of a crime motivated by misogyny.For media activist Jang Su-jeong, 35, the incident resonated personally.“A lot of times, you can be with a man and nothing happens, and then you’re walking alone late at night and get insulted by men or run into ones who have had a lot to drink and are acting up,” Jang said. “As you accumulate more and more memories like that, you always end up shrinking back.”One of the messages left in front of the subway exit reads, “I survived only by luck.” Analysts suggested one of the reasons the murder has prompted such a wave of commemoration stems from the fear among many women that they could also be victimized. The fact that the attack took place at a public bathroom in the bustling Gangnam district has reminded many women of the ever-present threats they face.“I find myself growing more and more terrified of others,” said radio writer Kim So-jeong, 34. “I’ve gotten more fearful of public spaces in particular. I think, ‘Don’t use the bathroom, don’t use elevators, don’t walk on side streets.’”
