By Kim Jae-won
Terror attacks at the Boston Marathon raises a question: Are Koreans safe?
So far, acts of terrorism have been few and far between but the Boston terror attack is shocking enough, according to experts, for Korea to pause and reflect.
“Korea is not a safety zone from a terrorist attack anymore. Economic and political inequality can nurture homegrown terrorists who attack people for no special reason,” said Lee Man-jong, head of the Korean Association for Terrorism Studies.
According to data from the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), the income of the top 20 percent of the country’s population was $31,723 in 2010, whereas the bottom 20 percent lived on $5,551, showing a big disparity between haves and have-nots.
The shrinking portion of the middle class is another problem, threatening public safety.
According to a recent report by McKinsey, middle class families, which have played the role of a social buffer, accounted for 67.5 percent of all households in 2010, down from 75.4 percent two decades ago. The consulting company said this was is largely due to high housing prices and excessive spending on private education.
Lee said the country needs to take care of children from multicultural families and North Korean defectors to prevent them from committing violent anti-social behavior.
Police say implementing social integration policies is the key to defusing possible terrorist attacks in advance.
“We should pay more attention to so-called ‘Kosians’ born to Korean fathers and Southeast Asian mothers in rural areas. We should embrace them in love and offer them full education and job opportunities,” said Sgt. Lee In-geol from the National Police Agency.
In terms of whether international terrorists would choose the country as a target, Sgt. Lee said the possibility was very low and no visible activity from such groups had been detected here.
Meanwhile, local marathoners said that the attack in Boston cooled off their passion for running in international competitions and raised safety concerns over local events.
“Worries over safety at marathon events have risen. We are concerned to take part in upcoming international competitions in New York, Beijing and Tokyo,” said Yun Chan-ki, the secretary general of the Korea Marathon Association.
“Hosts of local competitions may tighten their security regulations and dispatch more medical experts to be prepared for possible terrorist attacks or other incidents.”