 How safe is Korea? The answer to this question depends on when it is asked. The nation . where guns are illegal . used to be considered safe, with people walking without much worry even along backstreets in big cities. Now, a series of revelations about serial killers and pedophiles, most of whom show strong psychopathic tendencies, are showing that it may not be as safe as previously thought. From left: Kim Kil-tae, the prime suspect in the recent kidnapping, rape and murder of a 13-year-old girl in Busan, is escorted by police after being apprehended this week; Kang Ho-soon, who was sentenced to death for killing his wife and mother-inlaw as well as six other people; and Yoo Young-chul, who is on death row for killing at least 21 people. / Korea Times File |
By Park Si-soo
Staff Reporter
Kim Kil-tae, the prime suspect in the kidnap killing of a 13-year-old girl in Busan, has a mental status similar to that of two notorious serial killers who were judged as "psychopaths," criminologists and psychiatrists say.
The 33-year-old suspect appears to be impulsive, wayward in personality and overconfident during police questioning, similar to Kang Ho-soon and Yoo Young-chul, the two recent serial killers, they explained.
Kang was sentenced to death for raping and killing eight people, including his wife and mother-in-law. Yoo, who is also on death row, killed a total of 21 women for unclear reasons. Shocking the country with the fact he also ate the flesh of his victims, Yoo was included on a list of the world's 31 most prolific serial killers by U.S. magazine Life in August last year.
"Kim is apparently a psychopath," criminologist Lee Soo-jung at Kyeonggi University said. "He raped many women regardless of their age. Plus, he committed the latest crime just months after being released, meaning he has a critical mental problem and difficulty in self-control."
The criminologist stressed Kim's dismal teenage life, which alienated him from his step parents and friends as well as others, is a key reason for his psychopathic tendencies.
According to police, he was adopted by a family after being abandoned by his biological parents at the age of two. He has maintained a certain distance from his parents and friends in relationships, police said, citing testimonies from his parents.
He dropped out of a vocational high school in 1993 for frequent clashes with peers and since then has been imprisoned for 11 years for a series of rape charges.
His middle school teacher was quoted as saying, "Kim frequently lied to cover up his misbehaviors." His middle school assessment document reads, "He seems unstable in mentality."
When he was detained at a reformatory in 1996, he used to stay alone or pick fights with other inmates, a correction official recollected. "He was sent to the discipline committee of the reformatory seven times for fights," the official was quoted as saying. "He was diagnosed with a mental disease, so that he received mental treatment for two years there."
Some analysts have raised objections to the idea that Kim is a psychopath, comparing the latest case with that of Kang and Yoo.
"Unlike the two apparent psychopaths who mapped out a meticulous plan before committing a crime, Kim's crime was not premeditated," said Professor Pyo Chang-won, a criminologist at the National Police University.
Among factors commonly found among psychopaths include an appearance or personality that gives a good feeling to others at a glance, Pyo explains. "Kang and Yoo are examples of this. But Kim is not," he said.
"Kim is not attractive in appearance or personality. Given this, I see him trapped in nightmarish memories he had when he was young and they led to him committing such brutal wrongdoings."
Psychiatrist Kim Eui-jung at Ewha Womens University Hospital in northern Seoul agrees with this.
"Experiences and memories made before the age of three play a pivotal role in forming a person's personality and behavior pattern," Kim said. "As reported, his life before he turned three was a sort of self-struggle to survive in the absence of care and attention from his parents."
pss@koreatimes.co.kr
김길태는 전형적인 사이코패스
부산 여중생 살해 피의자 김길태는 `사이코패스'로 판명난 이전의 연쇄살인범들과 비슷한 정신상태를 보이고 있다고 범죄 심리학자들이 주장했다.
김길태는 강호순 및 유영철과 마찬가지로 충동적이고, 일방적이고 자신감에 차 있는 것처럼 보인다는 것이다.
경기대학 이수정 교수는 ``김길태는 명백하게 사이코패스''라면서 ``나이에 상관없이 많은 여성들을 강간한데다 석방된지 수개월 만에 범죄를 저지른 점을 감안할 때 치명적인 정신적 문제와 자기제어가 어려운게 분명하다''고 말했다.
이교수는 양부모 및 친구들로부터 소외된 김길태의 어두운 10대 시절이 그의 사이코패스적 경향의 주요 원인이라고 진단했다.
