By Kim Rahn
Staff Reporter
Police described suspected serial killer Kang Ho-soon as eating well, cracking jokes with detectives and sleeping well ― even snoring ― Monday, commenting on how he was doing in his prison cell.
How could a man commit such heinous crimes without feeling any guilt or remorse? That's a question that haunts most people. Many experts agree that he is a psychopath ― a mentally ill or unstable person, especially a person affected with antisocial personality disorder.
``The psychopath is defined by a psychological gratification in criminal, sexual, or aggressive impulses and the inability to learn from past mistakes. Individuals with this disorder gain satisfaction through their antisocial behavior and lack remorse for their actions,'' according to the online encyclopedia Wikipedia.
Regarding the motivation behind the killings, Kang has told the police that he felt dejected by the death of his fourth wife in a fire in 2005 and wandered around the nation for a year. He then began to feel the urge to kill any woman he saw. After the first killing, he said he could not control the desire to kill repeatedly.
Experts said that his remarks were insufficient to explain all of the killings ― they say he may not be a typical psychopath.
``Psychopaths lack the ability to sympathize, so do not understand how others feel. They are self-centered, frequently lie, and do not feel guilty or responsible,'' said Kim Sang-gyun, a professor at Baekseok University and vice president of the Korea Association of Criminal Psychology.
Other serial killers in recent years, Yoo Young-chul who killed 20 and Jeong Nam-kyu who murdered 13, were also classified as psychopaths as they did not regret their acts, and said they would have killed more people if they had not been caught, Kim said.
Psychopathic killers usually become bolder and crueler as they commit more murders, according to Kim. ``Like ordinary murderers, they are surprised at their behavior in their first killing, but feel pleasure at the same time. It is like an addiction to a drug: you keep taking bigger doses than the previous one. Such serial killers want greater satisfaction and pleasure, so they take bolder and more brutal methods for their next killing, for more excitement and thrills,'' he said.
There are various theories about why such people develop such a disorder and the motive to kill. In many cases, psychopaths have hostility toward society due to poverty, childhood abuse or domestic troubles. But Kang neither had a grudge against society, nor was he an isolated person.
``Kang seems to cling to a sexual desire, as he kidnapped the women to rape them. We don't know yet, but there may be a trigger which made him express the desire through serial killing,'' Kim said.
According to Lee Yung-hyeock, a professor at the Korea National Police University, some researchers say psychopaths are ``inborn criminals,'' meaning they were born with violent inclinations, because many of them have an abnormal frontal lobe or lack certain hormones.
Lee pointed out social changes behind the emergence of such psychopaths. ``The U.S. had a large number of serial murders and other abnormal crimes in the early 1970s, while it is happening these days in Korea. When we look for something common between the two periods, it was a time when social norms were changing quickly and a time when family breakdowns occurred a lot,'' he said.
But Lee said not all psychopaths become criminals. ``There are successful professionals who have psychopathic inclinations. People with such a personality can become great figures if they find the right jobs, including CEOs, artists or anatomists, if the inclination is controlled in a good environment,'' he said.
Experts say it is not easy to prevent psychopathic acts and crimes. ``Those people are likely to repeat their crimes or commit more brutal crimes. When the authorities classify criminals in prison, they are advised to do so more strictly, so that they can provide them with mental treatment,'' Kim said.
Over the long-term, Lee said: ``Affection in childhood is important, so the nation should prepare a child welfare system. I see many children stick to computer games and improper online materials without parental supervision. If they develop a psychopathic personality and face frustration and cold treatment from society, who can be sure that they will not become serial killers?''