"Found Dead" Triggers Anxiety, Leading to Sell-Outs of Self-Defense Products

[Anchor] Self-defense products are reportedly selling like hotcakes amid growing distrust in the police.

[Reporter] As a series of recent violent crimes is compounded by police ineptitude, an increasing number of citizens are opening their wallets to protect themselves.

While 1,000-won personal safety alarms sold at household goods stores are selling out, the demand for self-defense sprays, stun guns, and other items at specialized self-defense shops is also steadily rising.

On August 25, right after the body of a missing person surnamed Chang was found in Jeju, the search index for self-defense products on portal sites soared to 100.

This index indicates the relative trend, setting the point with the highest click volume during the search period as 100.

There is another day in the past three months when this index hit 100.

It was July 5, when suspicions over the police's botched investigation into the Gwangju female high school student murder case involving the culprit Jang Yoon-ki began to spread in earnest.

In addition, on the same day in Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province, a stalking victim was murdered by her ex-boyfriend despite having received a restraining order and a smart watch.

The report noted that this effectively coincides the timing of heightened anxiety over public authority's ability to protect victims with the surge in interest for self-defense products.

(Photo Source: Danggn Market, Naver Datalab)

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