"Can't Rely on Police" Repeated Tragedies Despite Personal Protection... Anxious Citizens

Tragedies Continue Among Personal Protection Subjects
"Can We Trust the Police?" Citizens Express Anxiety
Kim Chang-ryong, Commissioner of Police: "Security Burden Related to Personal Protection Has Soared"
"Current Legal System Limits Measures Available"
Experts: "Police Are Burdened... Securing Smartwatches and Others Is Not Easy"

Im Mo, who visited the house of a woman he was dating and killed her family, is heading to the courtroom to attend the warrant hearing held at the Seoul Eastern District Court in Songpa-gu, Seoul, on the afternoon of the 12th. / Photo by Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Juhyung] As tragedies involving victims or their families under police protection being killed continue to occur, public anxiety is growing. There is an outcry questioning whom to rely on if the police cannot properly protect the victims. Experts point out that recently, the number of requests for personal protection from crime victims has increased sharply, causing the police to feel burdened in responding to them.

◆Suspect wielding a knife against family members of a person under police protection

On the 12th, Lee Seokjun (26) was arrested by the police for wielding a weapon against the mother and younger brother of a woman in her 20s, A, who was under police protection. Lee is suspected of stabbing A’s mother and younger brother in the chest, neck, and other body parts with a weapon on the afternoon of the 11th at A’s residence.

At the time, A’s father, who was out, called the police around 2:26 p.m., saying, "I was on the phone with my wife, but it seems someone entered the house." The police arrived at the scene five minutes later, at 2:31 p.m. A’s mother and younger brother were found lying on the floor bleeding. Both were immediately transported to a nearby hospital for treatment, but A’s mother ultimately passed away.

Lee had been under investigation since the 6th for detaining A. Accordingly, A became a person under police protection and was even provided with a smartwatch. However, this incident occurred less than a week after the investigation began. Unlike A, who was under police protection, it appears that no protective measures were taken for the family members who were victims in this case, such as A’s mother and younger brother.

◆Tragedies continue despite police protection... stalking victim also murdered

This is not the first case where a tragedy occurred involving a person under police protection. Kim Byungchan (35), who brutally murdered his ex-girlfriend, went to the officetel in Jung-gu, Seoul, where the victim lived, and committed the heinous crime.

Kim Byung-chan, who was receiving police protection due to stalking and killed his ex-girlfriend, was leaving Seoul Namdaemun Police Station on the morning of the 29th last month to be transferred to the prosecution. / Photo by Yonhap News

Kim Byungchan had been harassing the victim for about 11 months. During this period, the victim reported Kim to the police six times. The police protected her by accompanying her on her way home or providing a smartwatch for emergency calls. However, they failed to prevent Kim from murdering the victim.

As incidents where those under police protection suffered harm occurred repeatedly within about a month, citizens expressed their anxiety. There are complaints asking whom to rely on if the police cannot stop the suspect’s criminal acts.

B, a worker in their 20s, said, "It seems the police’s personal protection is completely ineffective," adding, "They just accompany you briefly on your way home; how can we trust that?"

Another office worker, C (31), lamented, "Crimes involving stalking, harassment, or murder of women appear in the news every day, but the police seem to provide no help. Then who are the female victims supposed to trust?"

◆"Police security burden increasing exponentially" Police Chief bows head

Some argue that the police’s personal protection system is insufficient to protect victims.

Typically, the police provide personal protection when crime victims have suffered or are at risk of suffering harm from perpetrators during investigations or trials. Besides victims, spouses, relatives, reporters, witnesses, and informants can also be protected upon request.

Specific measures include △warnings to perpetrators △smartwatch loans △customized patrols around residences △installation of closed-circuit (CCTV) cameras △provision of temporary lodging, among others.

However, personal protection is far from 24-hour close protection or personal bodyguard services. Moreover, while the demand for victim protection has increased recently, the number of police officers responsible for this is grossly insufficient.

According to police data, the number of personal protection requests increased significantly from about 14,700 last year to 21,700 so far this year.

In some regions, the supply of smartwatches provided to victims is also insufficient. According to data provided by Yang Gidae, a member of the Democratic Party, from the Gyeonggi Southern Provincial Police Agency on October 18, the number of personal protection requests received by the agency from January to August this year was 2,698, but the distribution of smartwatches was less than half, at 1,093.

Commissioner Kim Chang-ryong of the National Police Agency acknowledged the limitations during a press briefing on the 13th, stating, "Under the current legal system, the police have limited means to take effective measures against perpetrators at the early stages of an incident." / Photo by Yonhap News

Regarding this, Police Chief Kim Changryong said at a press briefing held at the police headquarters on the 13th, "The police’s security burden related to personal protection has increased exponentially," acknowledging the manpower shortage issue by stating, "Under the current legal system, the police have limited means to effectively take action against perpetrators at the early stages of incidents."

He also explained the institutional limitations, saying, "There is a significant gap between the means of personal protection the police can provide and public expectations. Even if the police respond on-site and take emergency measures to separate the victim and suspect, if the suspect blatantly refuses, the police can only impose a fine."

However, he emphasized, "We will develop effective measures through a task force (TF) to strengthen on-site response capabilities. We will comprehensively improve victim protection measures, system reforms, manpower, systems, and equipment, including personal protection."

Experts also pointed out that the recent increase in victims’ requests for personal protection has added to the police’s burden.

Oh Yoonseong, a professor of police administration at Soonchunhyang University, said, "Since the Stalking Punishment Act was enforced in October, the number of reported cases has exceeded those reported in the past year," adding, "It is true that the police feel burdened."

He continued, "From the police’s perspective, it is not easy to secure additional smartwatches and manage the workload. Also, it is realistically difficult to predict when perpetrators might attack victims or their immediate family members."

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