Highlighted in this article is a unique form (and notion) of a suicidal action that prevailed in the Joseon society known as “Suicide by Harassment(Wipib Jasal),” as well as certain behavioral patterns displayed by the Joseon people who were involved in such tragic incidents. This particular social phenomenon was referred to in a legal clause entitled “Harassment leading to a loss of life(Wipibin Chisa, 威逼人致死)” inside Daemyeon g’ryul(大明律, The Great Ming Law), and notions concerning this very phenomenon was also formed on the basis of this clause, which was essentially inserted in the law code to deal with murder cases in which an individual would harass another with his or her power, and eventually drive that person to its own demise.
But in order for this particular clause to be invoked, the victim had to have taken his or her own life, on his or her own. This led to the people of the time trying to ascertain the offender responsible for the victim’s death, whenever a case of suicide would occur. The Geoman(Autopsy) reports currently in custody of the Gyujanggak archives show us the process of authorities trying to find out and determine the offender responsible for the tragic outcome. In this article, suicides caused by external harassment is defined as “Wipib” suicides, as in “suicide by harassment.”
Analysis of the Wipib suicides reveal certain patterns, interestingly in terms of the relationship between the offender and the victim, as well as a variety of fashions from a number of cases. Cases showing male offenders and male victims seem to be the most prominent types, and of female offenders and male victims are the least noticeable types. Relevant cases also display ‘additional violence,’ with offenders harassing not only the victim but the victim’s family members as well.
Behaviors of people involved in Wipib suicide cases also reveal interesting aspects of the people’s attitude toward such cases. As mentioned earlier, Wipib suicide was a type of suicide which always involved an offender responsible for the victim resorting to killing oneself, and such fact was clearly on the people’s minds. Whenever a Wipib suicide would take place, people would move the victim’s body to the place of the (suspected) offender, as a gesture and an effective act of pointing to the individual responsible for the tragedy. In fact, a person planning to take one’s life would even kill oneself at the offender’s place, making this type of suicide all the more peculiar and unique.