'Family is Scary'... Pent-up Emotions Lead to Brutal Crimes

[Financial News] Recently, as family murder crimes have been occurring one after another, there is a call to quickly establish a victim protection system, including identifying preliminary signs. Family crimes are mainly expressed in extreme ways when emotional resentment accumulates in close relationships.
According to the National Police Agency on the 15th, out of 276 murder suspects arrested last year, 131 (47.5%) committed crimes against spouses, parents, children, or relatives. It soared from about 30% in 2020~2022 to 55.1% in 2023, then slightly decreased again.
Also, among the 782 murder victims in 2023, 309 were family or relatives. This is about 40% of the total. It increased significantly from 203 in 2020, 183 in 2021, and 193 in 2022.
On the 5th, a woman in her 60s was found dead near a factory in Sewoon Shopping Center, Jung-gu, Seoul. The husband confessed to the crime by stating, "I killed my wife." The police are focusing on the murder charge in their investigation.
On July 20th, in Songdo, Incheon, Mr. Cho (63) killed his son in his 30s with a homemade gun. It was investigated that Mr. Cho committed the crime out of resentment after the 6.4 million won monthly living expenses he received from his ex-wife and son were cut off.
Experts analyzed that family and relative murders occur frequently because emotional resentment is likely to arise in close relationships. The interpretation is that the more intimate the relationship, the higher the possibility that pent-up emotions will explode into brutal crimes.
Professor Lim Joon-tae of the Department of Police Administration at Dongguk University explained, "Violent crimes generally occur in familiar relationships," adding, "Murders due to inheritance or love affairs among family members are no exception."
Experts pointed out that merely severely punishing perpetrators is not a proper solution. They advise that it is necessary to identify signs in advance and take action.
Professor Lee Soo-jung of the Department of Criminal Psychology at Kyonggi University said, "There are indicators that become signs of family murder, such as domestic violence," and "It seems necessary to actively utilize temporary measures stipulated in the Domestic Violence Punishment Act."
However, there is also skepticism on the ground that prevention is not easy. A police inspector named A, who is a section chief at a police station in Seoul, questioned, "Even if someone commits murder against family, they know they will be punished, so how can preventive laws or measures be easily introduced?"
jyseo@fnnews.com Seo Ji-yoon Reporter