Self-defense gadgets following survival kits

Am I expecting too much to hope for a society to be more free from worries about self-defense for survival?

SHIM SAE-ROMThe author is a communications team reporter of the JoongAng Holdings. People are looking for self-defense products again. The trend is repeating itself after a violent crime incident. For a week since July 21, when a knife rampage occurred in Sillim-dong, Seoul, self-defense gadgets have topped the Naver shopping trend, including self-defense spray, stun guns and expandable batons.

Men are especially interested in buying them after healthy men in their 20s and 30s were attacked on the streets in broad daylight. The truth behind the sales boom is the anxiety that if unlucky, one can be attacked by someone anytime, anywhere.

Experts advise people to “run away as quickly as possible instead of trying to fight back” in case of emergencies. Self-defense sprays, sold for up to 50,000 won ($39), are a bit more popular than the expandable batons or stun guns that are relatively harder to use. When you spray tear fluid containing capsaicin or wasabi on the face, you can buy time by blurring the vision of the attacker. When I was covering the police, I carried a self-defense spray in my handbag after a random murder took place in Gwangjin-gu, Seoul in June 2011. But when I checked the spray later, the opening had hardened.

The trend of people trying to protect themselves from unforeseen tragedies predates the latest incident. After the city of Seoul made a false warning about North Korea’s missile provocation on May 31, “survival bags” sold out on online shopping malls.

The survival bag includes emergency supplies needed for survival during a large-scale disaster such as a war. In English, it is called a “bug out bag” or “go bag.” Koreans call it a “72-hour bag” or a “survival backpack.”

It contains drinking water, emergency food, blanket, medicine, safety equipment and a flashlight. Online communities of moms were packed with postings such as “Emergency blanket is out of stock” and “Review your survival bag list, as no one knows when North Korea will launch a missile again.”

I have no intention to blame people for preparing for a crime and war. However, seeing the trend of self-defense products and survival bags growing popular, I cannot but feel bitter about people anxiously preparing for a worst-case situation that should never happen.

Am I expecting too much to hope for a society to be more free from worries about self-defense for survival?