hankyoreh

Flowers and messages sit at the entrance to a women’s restroom at Sindang Station, where a woman was killed by her stalker on Sept. 14. (Shin So-young/The Hankyoreh)

The sign hanging above the entrance to the women’s bathroom where a woman working as a station attendant was murdered in Sindang Station on Seoul Metro Line 2 reads: “A bathroom where women can be happy.” As word of the incident spread, the location was visited by a series of people paying respect to the victim and expressing anger at the crime.

“After seeing the news, I got together with some like-minded friends and we came to Sindang Station,” said K, a woman in her 20s the Hankyoreh spoke to at the station on Thursday afternoon. “This is a typical misogynistic crime where stalking led to murder. We need to do more than just be outraged at this incident — we need to make sure people know that it’s a hate crime against women.”

The fact that the crime took place in a subway station bathroom, a facility commonly used by people across the city, has led to a sense of terror and concern over safety among women.

“I got off the subway around midnight yesterday, and I was shocked to see forensic investigators and blood,” said a 24-year-old who lives in the Sindang neighborhood where the station is located. “They said it was a stalking crime, and I’m angry and frustrated that there weren’t any sort of protective measures or restraining order in place to protect the victim.”

Lee Mi-na, a 35-year-old office worker, stated, “I often take my young children to bathrooms in subway stations, but from now on I don’t know if I’ll be able to do that. I’ll always be looking over my shoulder to see if someone is following me.”

“We live in a world where even a female station employee who was on patrol to keep the women’s bathroom safe has become a target,” said a 61-year-old surnamed Hong. “I’m worried for my daughter, who commutes to work on the subway every day, so I called her today to make sure she arrived safely. When will we be able to live in a world where our daughters can go to work without fear?”

White flowers had been laid next to the bathroom where the woman was slain along with a sign saying “On the sixth anniversary of the Gangnam Station murder, has anything changed?” referring to a 2016 case in which a woman was murdered in a bathroom in the vicinity of Gangnam Station.

Another sign in the name of the “Backlash Joint Task Force” read “The Sindang Station murder is a misogynistic hate crime in which the victim was repeatedly stalked, harassed with illegal filming and killed when she reported it. We mourn for the victim and will band together for her. We will build a changed society where this sadness is no more.” The sign was removed shortly after by a Sindang Station official.

The deceased’s coworkers at the station later set up a memorial space near the women’s restroom.

“I realized this could happen to any woman,” said a 27-year-old surnamed Jeong who came to pay respects and lay white flowers. “I came here after work to express solidarity.”

By Jang Na-rye, staff reporter; Jang Ye-ji, staff reporter

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