How to deal with terrorism

On July 7, 2005, four consecutive bombings exploded in mass transportations means including subway stations and double-decker buses in London, England. Over 50 Londoners were killed as they were commuting. A year before, more than 190 Madrid citizens were sacrificed when bombs installed on four commuting trains exploded in Spain on March 11. The two crisis were named as “7.7 Terror” and “3.11 Terror,” after the “9.11 Terror” when international terrorist Al Qaeda attacked the Twin Towers located in New York. It was a retaliation made by Al Qaeda, responding to the U.S.-led “War on Terrorism.”

The 7.7 Terror was the first suicidal attack made by Islamic extremists on the British soil. Back then, Londoners were scared, but not terrified. They did not panic, remained calm, and maintained daily orders. Subways were back in operation in a day. An Englishman who was in Washington on the day of the 9.11 Terror even commented that there was a sharp difference between his fellowmen and Americans who were in a state of panic. Indeed, thanks to their composed manner, the British successfully overcame from the calamity.

On Wednesday (local time), a terror happened when a car charged towards a sidewalk on the Westminster Bridge. The roads were restricted for a while to avoid further attacks on defenseless civilians, but everything went back to normal soon. Just after the incident, social network services were filled with postings with a hashtag #WeAreNotAfraid with a will to overcome the recent terrorism. The same happened in 2015 when an indiscriminate shooting was targeted to Café Terrasse in Paris, with the hashtag #JeSuisEnTerrasse (I’m out on a terrace).

The past Al Qaeda attacks or the recent terrorist attacks made by the Islamic State (IS) aim for a heightened fear-mongering effect by targeting innocent civilians, or “Soft Targets.” Furthermore, terrors made by “Lone Wolf” which align themselves with terrorist organizations are hard to prevent in the first place. Now, we are living in a world where terrorist attacks are considered as invariables instead of variables. Five Korean tourists were injured by the recent attack in London. Now is the time to look back on our national status based on how we deal with incoming terrorism.