'30s Woman Killed by Stabbing While Under Protection, Reported to Police 5 Times This Year (Update)'

Police: "Protective Measures Such as Accompanied Return and Separation"

[Asia Economy Reporter Jeong Dong-hoon] It has been confirmed that a woman in her 30s, who was killed while under police protection in an officetel in Jung-gu, Seoul, had reported to the police five times over the past year due to stalking and other acts by her ex-boyfriend.

A Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency official stated at a press briefing held on the 22nd at the Seoul Police Agency in Naejadong, Jongno-gu, Seoul, "The first report was made last June with the content that 'the ex-boyfriend said he came to pick up his belongings and tried to enter the house,'" adding, "There were a total of five reports, and protective measures such as accompanying her home and separation were taken."

Regarding suspicions that the ex-boyfriend wielded a weapon previously, the official said, "There was no mention of a weapon in the report," and "In fact, as I mentioned earlier, the police officers who arrived at the scene encountered the ex-boyfriend twice, on the 7th of this month and June 26th."

As for the delay in filing charges, the official explained, "At the time, the suspect voluntarily accompanied the police, but if the suspect refuses to accompany voluntarily, the police have no means to enforce it, so the focus was on protecting the victim." During the five reports, the victim was not interviewed. The police official said, "She showed signs of psychological distress and did not want to be questioned on the day," adding, "We took measures to move her to a temporary shelter, and after coordinating with the court, planned to conduct an investigation on the 20th, but the incident occurred."

Meanwhile, the police expressed their apology to the deceased, the bereaved family, and the public regarding this incident. Seoul Metropolitan Police Chief Choi Kwan-ho stated in a written statement at the press briefing, "The police organization, whose greatest reason for existence is to protect the lives and safety of the people, deeply accepts the public's criticism for failing to protect the precious life of a person who sought help from the police," and "We offer our sincere apologies to the deceased, the bereaved family, and the public."

He continued, "We believe this incident occurred because the police were not precise or swift enough, ultimately failing to protect the safety of the people," adding, "Taking this incident as an opportunity, we will once again reaffirm the police's purpose of 'protecting the lives and bodies of the people' and establish a 'Stalking Crime Response Improvement T/F' involving the head of the Jungbu Police Station and external experts to formulate effective measures as quickly as possible and strive to prevent recurrence of similar cases."

At around 11:30 a.m. on the 19th, a woman in her 30s, Ms. B, was found dead with a weapon wound to her head in an officetel in Jung-gu, Seoul. When firefighters arrived, Ms. B was conscious but was undergoing cardiopulmonary resuscitation and was transported to a nearby hospital, where she ultimately passed away. Ms. B was a victim under protection for dating violence. She made two emergency calls to the police using a smartwatch provided to her. However, there are criticisms that due to systemic limitations and other reasons, the reported location was incorrectly displayed, causing a delay in police response.

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