Koreans Legal Adult Age and Captured Killer

Korea's pretty funny sometimes. Take a look at this article about changing the age of majority from 20 (already a year younger than the U.S.) to 19 (the same as British Columbia, Canada, but higher than the 18 that is prevalen federally and in some Canadian provinces). Here parents are commenting on the ability to take on rights and responsibilities at the tender age of 19.

"My boy is almost an adult now and the law now even considers him a man, but he has to learn his responsibilities and accept his own choices in life," Han Ho-sun, mother of a 20-year-old, said. "But what does he know? He is not ready to make decisions as an adult yet. And if he is granted too much freedom, I'm worried he'll get himself into trouble."

Other parents of young adults agreed. They nodded their heads to the idea that the government, before lowering the adult age, should provide training and programs to teach what adult responsibilities entail - such as building up a good credit record, making political decisions and getting married.

"What? 19 years? Kids that age aren't really mature enough to handle anything! Let alone complete adulthood," said one parent who asked for anonymity.

The first two seem pretty sensible, but the last one (if the name wasn't withheld) would be prime fodder for the Tonight Show's Headlines segment, I think.

Then there's this article about the capture of an ex-convict suspected of stabbing to death two police offices a few days ago. This part deserves special attention:

As police raided the house, Lee injured himself by stabbing his abdomen and thighs several times while holding a child and a 48-year-old woman as hostages to resist arrest.

He was immediately sent to Ehwa Womans University Mok-dong Hospital for emergency treatment...

What? Did I just read that right? The suspect stabbed himself enough to need to go to the emergency room? What was he trying to do? Commit suicide so as to evade capture?!??! Methink perhaps the (can I say vengeful?) police on the scene may have helped him guide the knife just a bit. Maybe he did stab himself, but it sure seems weird.

Here's an op/ed on the capture and how it was handled by the police.