Han Donghoon: "Jeju's Top Crime Rate Is a Statistical Illusion... We Must Prevent Misconceptions About Safety Risks"

Statistical Illusion Due to Resident Population Calculations
Jeju Proven Safe When Tourist Numbers Are Considered
Calls for Caution Against Spreading Distorted Fears

Han Dong-hoon, Member of the National Assembly (Independent), has called for a thorough investigation and prevention of recurrence regarding the recent missing and death case in Jeju. At the same time, he cautioned against the spread of unfounded anxiety about public safety in Jeju online. He pointed out the 'statistical illusion' that places Jeju at the top nationwide in crime rates due to the current calculation method, which uses only the resident population as the denominator. He warned against the distorted perception of risk about the region that is spreading as a result.

Hankyoreh Han, Independent Member of the National Assembly.

Through his social network service (SNS), Han stated, "The serial missing and concealed bodies case in Jeju must be thoroughly investigated, and those responsible should be held accountable to prevent recurrence." However, he added, "We must prevent the spread of misinformation suggesting that Jeju is particularly high in crime or more dangerous compared to other areas."

He went on to specifically address the structural reason for annual misunderstandings, noting that Jeju is ranked first nationwide in crime rates every year when statistics are released.

Han explained, "Crime rate statistics are calculated based on the number of crimes per 100,000 people, with the registered resident population used as the denominator and the total number of reported crimes as the numerator." He continued, "While Jeju has a smaller resident population but a high number of tourists staying, all crimes involving non-residents are reflected in the numerator. However, due to the uniform national standard, the denominator does not include the transient population."

He made it clear that, because of the limitations in the statistical calculation method, Jeju's crime rate appears significantly high on paper. But if the actual floating and transient population is taken into account, Jeju is neither higher in crime nor weaker in public safety than other regions.

Han stressed, "This is merely an optical illusion caused by limitations in the calculation method, and it does not mean that Jeju is less safe than other areas." He cautioned against excessive anxiety and a false narrative being imposed on the Jeju community and its tourism industry.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.