In the legal arena, there are several different “types” of murder. If a person plans and prepares for a murder, the crime is called premeditated first-degree murder and comes with the maximum penalty. If a person accidentally kills another person, he or she will be charged with manslaughter and receive a lighter punishment since the killing was unintentional. If a person kills many people, he or she will be charged with mass murder. And if a person plots to kill someone but does not succeed, he or she will be charged with attempted murder. 

In Korean society, there are those who should be charged with multiple attempted homicides, and yet, are let off without much punishment. These people are drunk drivers. Traditionally, Korean society has been quite generous about drunkenness and many offenses are often pardoned if one simply says, “Sorry I was under the influence,” or “The alcohol did it, not me.”

In Korea, therefore, it is common to see a drunkard attack police officers and vandalize police stations. And an excess of drunk drivers roam the streets of Korea, even on weekdays. Since those who drive under the influence are like loose cannonballs, they crash into other cars and kill multiple people on occassion. So it is not an exaggeration to say that the car driven by a drunken man is like a killing machine, and the drunk driver is like a stray bullet. An unlucky bystander can become a victim at any time if he or she happens to cross paths with a killing machine.

Sometimes, drunk drivers run away from sobriety checkpoints, resulting in a high-speed chase. According to news reports, there is no law in Korea that enables law enforcement to punish the runaway driver. In the United States, if a person runs away when a police officer commands him or her to stop, that person will be in big trouble; he or she will be prosecuted and sentenced harshly, and in extreme situations, may even be shot if things go awry. We, too, must prosecute and punish drunk drivers mercilessly; simply suspending driver’s licenses will not eradicate drunk driving in our society.

Not everyone who drinks gets behind the wheel. In fact, the “replacement driver” business has been flourishing in Korea. Oftentimes, when Koreans go out, all members of a party drink and thus no one can serve as a designated driver. When it is time to go home, therefore, people will call replacement drivers to drive them home in their own cars. Despite the availability of such services, however, too many drunk people naively think they can drive themselves home safely. Consequently, drunk drivers are rampant on the streets of Korea.

Another group of people who get away with attempted mass murder are those who tamper with food for monetary gain. Sadly, our society has conscienceless food manufacturers and dealers who do not hesitate to add toxic chemicals to cheaply enhance the taste or the appearance of food products. These vicious dealers should be charged as attempted mass murderers because they are well aware of the fact that consumers may die from the harmful additives they put in their products. In the past, malicious manufacturers have added toxic chemicals to all kinds of foods such as dumplings, instant noodles, coffee creamer and even kimchi. Yet, when these manufacturers are busted, they are simply fined a few thousand dollars and they continue their lucrative and deadly practices.

I hear in some countries, after the state began executing those who knowingly sold toxic foods, food tampering has completely disappeared. If execution is a bit extreme, doling out life sentences would do the job just as well. After all, who would dare tamper with food at the cost of his or her life? Strict punishment will surely root out toxic foods on the shelves of our supermarkets, allowing us to purchase and eat processed foods at ease.

Still, there are those who are guilty of another type of attempted murder. They are the malevolent slanderers on the Internet. Often hiding behind anonymity, they hurl malicious comments that in extreme situations have driven victims to commit suicide. These Internet slanderers are guilty of indirect murder, if not attempted murder. Although not all hateful words lead to death, words often penetrate the hearts and minds of targets like sharp arrows. Like the slithering tongue of a venomous snake, vicious comments can inflict mortal wounds.

Cowards, who attack from behind anonymous computer screens, will only stop slandering others when they are forced to reveal their true names. In Korea, however, anonymity online is guaranteed under the excuse of privacy, at the cost of other people’s lives. As a result, ruthless netizens violate others’ privacy, spreading false rumors and ruining reputations. These slanderers write so indiscreetly and unscrupulously that they hurt and even kill others.

Korean lawmakers should pass a bill that severely punishes drunk drivers, toxic food manufacturers and Internet slanderers. If we succeed in eradicating these three types of attempted murder, our society will be much safer.

By Kim Seong-kon

Kim Seong-kon is a professor of English at Seoul National University and president of the Literature Translation Institute of Korea. ― Ed.