Koreans Offer Condolence and Perspective to Virginia Tech mass-murder tragedy

by Emily T. Wierenga, Korean Foreign Correspondent

	Students at Virginia Tech gather to mourn at the convocation after the shooting.

In a recent cross-section of Koreans on the tragedy of Virginia Tech, two common threads were tightly interwoven: Firstly, a sincere disgust at the crime committed, and secondly, a common consensus that Seung Hui Cho was himself, a victim.

Seung Hui was no ordinary man, as countless newspapers and broadcasts have testified. From day one he was different - unable to speak properly, unusually withdrawn, and mentally unstable. In the shadow of a very successful sister and in the absence of a workaholic father, Seung Hui was forced to develop, for the most part, alone.

John, a Korean English student from Wonju, South Korea, highlights, "Seung Hui immigrated to America at the most crucial point of his childhood. At eight years old, friendship is crucial. The human growth stages rely on love, friendship and societal acceptance. He couldn't adapt."

A Korean middle student named Sue puts it bluntly: "His family was wrong because Hui was an outsider and they didn't help him, so he was lonely. Perhaps the USA sees him as a bad person - and he was wrong for doing this - but if other people had helped him, he would have been okay."

From a more professional standpoint, Dr. An Sook Kim, director of South Korea's Yonsei ELP, remarks, "My educational background is in child and family ecology. From an ecological perspective, a human is influenced not only by his or her family, but also his school, community, society, culture, law, values or beliefs, etcetera . If Seung Hui had resources such as an important teacher/mentor, best friend(s), a Big Brother or anyone who could really influence and support him, he could have lived as a different person in a different world."

Instead, he was belittled and teased by wealthy church kids at youth group; ostracized at school for his strange behaviour and refusal to speak (no doubt for fear of being made fun of), and shunned by his own family as an embarrassment and a failure.

Billie, a Korean-American who immigrated to the States at a young age, understands what Seung Hui went through. "Children can be cruel. I was made fun of all through elementary up to college. I also know that in many Korean households living in the US, the pressure is high to succeed. Pride and status are huge in the Korean culture. I remember what it was like growing up."

When asked how she thinks the crime could have been prevented, Billie remarks, "If he had received more psychological help when he was younger - if his parents would have understood what was happening to their son, then this would have been helpful. He pulled the trigger. But he was obviously not right in the head."

Which begs the question -- Who put a gun in his hands in the first place? Another middle school student, Jacob, states bluntly, "NBC said, 'Cho is crazy.' I think so too. But even though Seung Hui was wrong for killing people, the USA shouldn't have let a crazy man have a gun. Instead, they should have put him in a hospital."

Dr. Kim agrees. Quite simply, she says, she's opposed to the States' current gun policy. Guns hurt people. This should be stressed from early childhood. "In these days, lots of negative social issues are related to guns, violation and lack of awareness of respect for life. These important values should be continuously emphasized not only by families, but also nationally and internationally."

Considering that "Crime in the United States accounts for more death, injuries and loss of property than all natural disasters combined" (Uniform Crime Report), perhaps it's high time we re-thought the legality of weaponry in America.

There is no doubt that Seung Hui was dreadfully wrong for killing 32 innocent people. The question is, how can we prevent another Virginia Tech incident from occurring?

Kyoung Sook, an employee of Yonsei ELP, states it quite clearly: "Seung Hui didn't love himself, so he didn't respect others' lives."

Cho was a victim of a loveless society. Psychologically troubled from early infancy, one could even argue he was in more need of love than the average individual.

"The world needs to stop for a moment and look at itself," states Billie. "Be more inclusive and diverse. Have an open mind about people. Look at yourself before you judge someone. If you know someone needs help, then do just that. Be kind, but true."

Countless Koreans are mourning along with Virginia Tech's victim's families; yet their hearts are also being torn over the horrendous actions of their Asian brother.

In the words of middle-school student Sue, we have to remember that Hui himself was a victim: "Please forgive Seung Hui, because he was very sad and lonely."

Editorial disclaimer

* Please note, most names have been altered for privacy purposes.

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About the author:

Emily Wierenga, a former editor for 'Living Light News,' is currently teaching ESL in South Korea.