Alarming rise in random killing

In the random killing in Seoul on Monday morning that left six people dead, we are seeing the ghastly result of a defective personality pitched against social adversity.

The alleged killer, identified as Chung, 31, reportedly told police interrogators that he killed people because the "sesang", which means either society or simply the people around him, "ignored" him. He also said he wanted to die, but he chose to end others' lives, unable to take his own.

Let's take a look at the man first. Chung left his hometown in a southern province for Seoul in 2002. He had been engaged in sundry jobs, living in a shoe-box apartment with some 85 individual rooms on two floors big enough for just a few normal housing units. He was unable to pay the rent and the fine for his negligence in reservist duties. It was a typical loser's life in the extremely competitive environs of Seoul.