'30s Woman Killed by Bladed Weapon While Under Protection, Reported to Police 5 Times This Year (Comprehensive)'

A man in his 30s who killed a woman under police protection due to dating violence and fled was caught by the police within a day and is entering the Jungbu Police Station in Seoul on the afternoon of the 20th.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

[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, "In June, victim A made her first report saying, 'My ex-boyfriend came to pick up his belongings and is trying to enter the house.' She made a total of five reports, and protective measures such as accompanying her home and separation were taken."

Regarding suspicions that the ex-boyfriend B wielded a weapon previously, the official said, "There was no mention of a weapon in the reports," and added, "In fact, the police officers who responded to the scene encountered the boyfriend only twice, on the 7th of this month and June 26."

As for the delay in filing charges, the official explained, "At the time, suspect B was voluntarily accompanied by the police, but if the suspect refuses voluntary accompaniment, the police have no means to enforce it, so the focus was on protecting the victim." During the five reports, victim A was not investigated. The police official said, "She showed signs of psychological distress and did not want to be questioned on the day. We moved her to a temporary shelter and coordinated with the court to conduct an investigation on the 20th, but the incident occurred before that."

After receiving the second report from victim A on the 7th, the police had her stay at a temporary shelter and immediately applied to the court for provisional measures including a ban on approaching within 100 meters of A, a ban on approaching via information and communication means, and a warning to stop stalking. The court decided on this on the 9th. After the report, A, who was staying at the temporary shelter, reported on the 8th that she needed to go to her residence to get her belongings. The police accompanied her, changed the house password, and confiscated her cards. On the 9th, A reported that she had come to B’s company, met him, and then parted ways. The police responded by accompanying B to visit the residence on the 9th.

Meanwhile, the police expressed their apology to the deceased, the bereaved family, and the public regarding this incident. Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency Commissioner 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 added, "We offer our deepest apologies to the deceased, the bereaved family, and the public."

He continued, "This incident reflects that the police were not precise or swift enough, ultimately failing to protect public safety," and said, "Taking this incident as an opportunity, we will reaffirm the police’s mission to protect the lives and bodies of the people, and establish a 'Stalking Crime Response Improvement Task Force (TF)' involving the head of the Jungbu Police Station and external experts to devise effective measures as quickly as possible and prevent recurrence of similar cases."

On the morning of the 19th at around 11:30 a.m., a woman in her 30s, B, was found dead with a stab wound to the head in an officetel in Jung-gu, Seoul. When firefighters arrived, she was conscious but was undergoing cardiopulmonary resuscitation and was transported to a nearby hospital, where she ultimately passed away. 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 have been criticisms that police response was delayed due to systemic limitations, such as incorrect location information being displayed during the reports.

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