Sales of self-defense gadgets soar after stabbing rampages

An employee introduces expandable batons, pepper spray and stun guns at a self-defense gadget store in Bucheon, Gyeonggi Province, Friday. Yonhap Department stores reinforce security guards to prevent copycat crimes By Park Jae-hyuk Demand for pepper spray, expandable batons and whistles is soaring amid growing safety concerns arising from back-to-back stabbing rampages and the ensuing online threats of copycat crimes, data showed Sunday. Interpark Commerce said that online transactions of self-defense gadgets rose by 399 percent from a month earlier.

The jump in trade occurred between July 21, the day after a stabbing rampage near Seoul’s Sillim Station, and Aug. 3, the day of the similar attack near Seohyeon Station in Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province. In particular, the transaction volume for self-defense gadgets on Aug.

4 was even larger than the entire transaction volume for such products between July 22 and Aug. 3. Data compiled by 11Street showed that the number of male buyers of self-defense gadgets between July 22 and Aug.

3 soared 263 percent from a year earlier, while the number of female buyers rose 168 percent during the same period. Police patrol Lotte Department Store’s Jamsil branch in southeastern Seoul, Saturday. Yonhap Department stores and shopping malls reinforced security with self-defense gadgets, in response to the ensuing copycat crime threats following the stabbing rampage at an AK Plaza department store near Seohyeon Station.

Lotte Property & Development, which manages Lotte World Tower and Lotte World Mall, doubled the number of security guards at its shopping mall to 130 last Friday, in response to an online post threatening to kill people at Jamsil Station. The security guards were also provided with tear gas guns and expandable batons. Lotte Group’s other retail units also took measures to protect customers and employees at its stores, ordering their security guards to wear stab-proof vests instead of suits.

Shinsegae Group established hotlines between the group’s stores nationwide and local police stations. The retailer also ordered its security guards to wear stab-proof vests and carry expandable batons. For the safety of customers visiting Starfield shopping malls during the weekend, Shinsegae deployed around 20 percent to 30 percent more security guards to the malls.

Hyundai Department Store ordered its security guards to wear vests printed with “security,” so that they are more visible to customers. The department store operator will also provide the guards with self-defense gadgets including expandable batons. HDC I’Park Mall in Yongsan Station held an emergency meeting after Thursday’s stabbing rampage.

The company ordered its security guards to wear vests instead of suits and decided to cooperate with the police and Korea Railroad Corp. to tighten security. These trends also affected the local stock market.

On Friday, stab-proof vest maker Welcron’s stock price temporarily soared 22 percent. S-1, a security service providing affiliate of Samsung, also saw a 5. 55 percent increase in its stock price that day.

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