Kkokkomu caused shock with a 'shooting terror incident' in the middle of Seoul. The program also revealed the uncomfortable truths hidden in our society related to this event, leaving a strong aftertaste.
The 179th episode of 'Story of the Day When You Bite Your Tail' (directed by Lee Geun-byeol, Lee Dong-won, Ko Hye-rin), aired on the 12th featured the segment 'War of Gwi – 2016 Seoul Shooting Terror Incident,' with actor Im Hyung-jun, ITZY's Chaeryeong, and comedian Shin Bong-seon making appearances as listeners.
The '2016 Seoul shooting terror incident' occurred in the middle of Seoul. Wearing a helmet and a bulletproof vest, 46-year-old Seong Byeong-dae mercilessly struck an elderly man with a hammer before calmly escaping the scene. Chaeryeong was shocked, asking, 'Was this an incident that happened in Korea?,' while Shin Bong-seon remarked, 'If I were a witness, I would have been in shock.'
Afterward, Seong Byeong-dae cut off his electronic monitoring bracelet and hid in a flower bed next to the entrance of the Opaesan Tunnel. When police arrived at the scene following a witness's report, Seong Byeong-dae opened fire, and Kim Chang-ho, a police officer hit by the assailant's gunfire while unprepared, ultimately died. Following the shootout, Seong Byeong-dae was arrested by police and citizens. In his bag, there were 17 homemade firearms, 7 knives, and 2 improvised explosives.
Seong Byeong-dae had a history of 7 previous offenses. After committing the shooting terror incident 4 years after his release, he incoherently stated while being apprehended, 'I was trying to commit suicide.'
The prosecutor in charge of the Seong Byeong-dae case, Kim Won-hak, remarked, 'Seong Byeong-dae believed the police had framed him,' surprising everyone. Seong Byeong-dae committed the crime while being seized by delusions. Chaeryeong expressed anger over Seong Byeong-dae's actions while Im Hyung-jun lamented, 'It gives me chills to think this could happen while walking down the street.'
During the onsite verification, Seong Byeong-dae continued to make nonsensical claims, shouting, 'This is a revolution.' He had requested a jury trial but eventually received a life sentence.
The Seong Byeong-dae incident was not the end. Kkokkomu revealed the uncomfortable truths hidden behind the Seong Byeong-dae case, shocking everyone. According to testimonies from fellow inmates, Seong Byeong-dae had received diagnoses of schizophrenia on four occasions during his incarceration but refused treatment. There was no legal basis for compulsory treatment when a patient refused under the Mental Health Welfare Act. Particularly shocking was the fact that there was only one psychiatrist in correctional institutions throughout Korea.
The commonality among Kim, who murdered a woman in her 20s near Gangnam Station in 2016, Ahn In-deuk, who set fire to an APT. in Jinju, killing residents in 2019, and Choi Won-jong, who committed indiscriminate murder at Seohyeon Station in Bundang in 2023, was that they all stopped their mental illness treatment on their own.
The three MCs, Jang Doyoun, Jang Hyun-seong, and Jang Seong-kyu, expressed concern, saying, 'If these individuals are neglected, they could end up trapped in the revolving door of crime that leads them back to correctional institutions. We might see a second Seong Byeong-dae.'
Subsequently, Kkokkomu left a poignant message to raise awareness. Jang Doyoun, Jang Hyun-seong, and Jang Seong-kyu cautioned, 'We must never think of individuals with mental illnesses as potential criminals.' They warned that 'indiscriminate hatred and avoidance will only isolate them and take away their opportunities for treatment.' They added, 'Now we must choose whether to confine them in the revolving door of crime through hatred and avoidance, or to face the dark and uncomfortable truths and strive for a safer society.'
In response, various SNS and community sites shared reactions such as, 'Is this really the 2016 incident? It’s so bizarre,' 'This is indeed the incident I remember from the news; it’s still heartbreaking to see it again,' 'The citizens' spirit of cooperation is remarkable,' 'The problem is not mental illness but the discontinuation and refusal of treatment. Well done, Kkokkomu,' and 'Today’s episode was truly outrageous.'
Meanwhile, Kkokkomu is a program where three 'storytellers' convey their insights gained through self-study to their respective 'story friends' in the most everyday settings, airing every Thursday at 10:20 p.m. on SBS.
[Photo] SBS
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