Woman stabs passengers on Korean subway after being called ‘Ajumma’, netizens react
A 37-year-old woman accused of stabbing three people with a knife on a South Korean subway train said she did it because someone called her “Ajumma,” police said Saturday. March, reported.
The accused woman, whose identity has not been released, was accused of injuring two women in her 60s and a man in his 50s on a train bound for Jukjeon train station in Yongin city, Gyeonggi province.
Although the word “ajumma” is a casual way of referring to a middle-aged woman, derived from the more polite “ajumeoni,” it is associated with negative connotations among Koreans.
Women’s studies experts have said that the term is strongly associated with stereotypical behavior patterns widely derided in Korean society, including being seen as aggressive and self-centered, and even a perceived lack of femininity.
According to the South Korean Metro Police, when one of the two women asked her to lower her voice, the defendant was on the phone, the caller Ajumma, which offended her.
“Another passenger asked the woman to turn down the volume on her cell phone. The passenger called the woman “ahjumma,” which angered the woman. The woman admitted the term offended her because she didn’t think she was old enough to be classified as “Ahjumma”. She also stated that she had no intention of killing. »
When the police were waiting for the train at the next station, the passengers in the car joined forces to arrest the woman. Three passengers tried to get close to her to control her – and she ended up injuring all three.
A passenger and a female passenger were injured in the face, while another passenger was stabbed in the thigh. Although no lives were lost, the passenger’s thigh injury was reported as critical.
Police concluded that based on the woman’s investigation, the woman would be charged with assault, not attempted murder.
Police also pointed out that the woman had psychiatric drugs in her bag, as well as records showing she had been treated for mental illness, including depression, and concluded the attack was “unintentional”.
After seeing the news, Koreans expressed their disbelief through online communities. Most accused the police of being “too lenient”.
- “I can’t believe I live in a world where victims have to risk their lives because criminals have mental illnesses. »
- “We can’t even use the terms ahjumma, ahjussi? What shall we do, call them “sir” and “madam” now? »
- “I’m sorry, but a 37-year-old woman is an Ahjumma regardless of her marital status. It has little to do with whether you are married or not. Seems the woman has anger management issues on top of an inferiority complex…AND it looks like the police are leaving her alone for having such mental illnesses. »
- “But isn’t she really an ahjumma at her age?” The other passenger called him that. What a stupid excuse…”
- “How is that unintentional when the woman literally had a gun on her? How many people just carry knives in their pockets? »
- “But… the woman had a knife with her. Isn’t it already wanted? I mean, unless she’s doing a job that requires her to carry a gun everywhere…”
- “I also have depression. I’ve been taking medication for several years. And yes, sometimes I lose my temper too. But I don’t carry a gun. I don’t go around brandishing a knife at people. I don’t think I would have that kind of energy… I really hope the woman doesn’t use insanity as an excuse. »
On the other hand, the Yongin Seobu Police Station did not respond to the growing online reaction to the specific charges filed.
