Justice and Vengence

In the Catholic Peace Weekly column The Eyes of the Priest, the readers this week are given a detailed message on the theme of justice and vengeance using the comic book character Batman and relates them to a case of sexual assault that occurred in Korea in 2004 and the recent developments of the case.

In the famous comic book and movie Batman, the protagonist fights against the villains of Gotham City, inspired by the biblical cities of Sodom and Gomorrah.  Gotham City is where even the police and prosecutors who should fight against criminals are corrupt. Batman fights against crime disguised as a bat that operates in the dark and calls himself 'vengeance'.

However, Batman also knows that the vengeance he seeks only leads to more vengeance. Although he fights villains in the name of justice, victims emerge in the process, and some become villains themselves seeking revenge against Batman. Thus, Batman always contemplates what justice is and what constitutes evil and good. Despite acting in the name of justice, he does not seem much different from the criminals he fights against.

In 2004, a case occurred in South Korea where 44 male high school students sexually assaulted a female middle school student. The entire nation was shocked. However, most of the 44 male students were sent to juvenile court and received only probation, without proper punishment. The case, which seemed to have disappeared, resurfaced in people's memories exactly 20 years later.

Recently, a YouTube channel has been exposing those involved in the school girl group sexual assault case. Those who sided with the perpetrators have also been revealed. The broadcast shares videos of past investigations, joining in the public's outrage. The exposed perpetrators have been fired from their jobs, and the stores they worked at have closed. The YouTuber who exposed the perpetrators has announced plans to reveal all 44 individuals.

Such actions by individuals or groups to punish perpetrators, rather than by public authority as in this case, are called 'cyber vigilantes'. 

When private sanctions like the exposure of the  sexual assault participants occur, it seems to many that justice is being served. They may feel a sense of satisfaction, and some even support the YouTuber over the investigative authorities. Even now, private sanctions similar to this  'Incident' continue to emerge.

However, private sanctions cannot fully realize social justice. An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth approach is dangerous. Vengeance only begets more vengeance. It can also lead to secondary victims by mistakenly turning innocent people into victims. Even with good intentions, one can become another villain. 

The increase in private sanctions is due to distrust in the judicial system. Seeing decisions that do not align with common sense or delayed investigations and trials for crimes committed by the upper echelons of society, citizens decide to become the Batman of Gotham City. Since the law does not protect the weak, they take on the role of 'judge' themselves. Ultimately, for 'cyber vigilante groups' to disappear, trust in our judicial system must be restored.