"Correct Police Behavior"... Families of 'Incheon Stabbing Rampage' Victims Petition Cheong

Around 5 p.m. on November 15 last year, Mr. A, the husband of the victim who was with the police officers dispatched after receiving a noise complaint from the first floor of a multi-family house, is running up the stairs after hearing his wife's screams. / Photo by Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Reporter Na Ye-eun] The husband of the victim in last year's 'Incheon Floor Noise Stabbing Incident' appealed to President Moon Jae-in to "correct the behavior of the police."

A petitioner, who introduced himself as the victim's husband, Mr. A, posted a message titled "President Moon Jae-in, the Incheon stabbing incident was a preventable case, and I earnestly request you to correct the police behavior revealed in this case" on the Blue House National Petition Board.

Mr. A began by saying, "While we victims' families may seem trivial matters to the President who is handling major affairs, shouldn't the nation's ruler pay more attention than anyone else to protecting the people's property and lives to prevent further unjust victims?"

He continued, "On the day of the incident, November 15, 2021, we reported twice to the police," and claimed, "During the first report, my daughter called, but the responding police officers took no action even after seeing the blood flowing from the perpetrator's hand."

He added, "During the second report, both responding officers fled as shown on the CCTV," and lamented, "If those police officers were their own family members, would they have just stood outside unable to open the door? I cannot believe that the police who witnessed a citizen being stabbed acted like that."

Mr. A appealed, "My wife now has brain necrosis and her cognitive ability is about that of a 1-2 year old child, and my daughter, though young, has irreversible scars on her face and hands," adding, "My daughter also had to vividly witness the perpetrator stabbing her mother. My wife, who is not even 50 years old, and my daughter are now forced to live with disabilities for 30 to 40 years."

He said he filed a compensation claim of 1.8 billion KRW against the state and police to care for his wife, and stated, "The government and police claimed the lawsuit amount was excessive and submitted an unbelievable response to the court asking for dismissal on the grounds that the state has no obligation to pay the victims."

Mr. A requested at least minimal living expenses so that the family can survive, saying, "Despite having to care for and nurse the patient, we are suffering twice as much because we worry about insufficient living expenses and have to borrow money and look for jobs."

He also mentioned some comments made by police officers on the anonymous workplace application 'Blind.'

Earlier on the 12th, several domestic online communities posted a message titled "Public opinion on the Incheon police after CCTV release on Blind." A netizen who identified as belonging to the National Police Agency commented, "I've worked for 5 years and barely take home 300,000 KRW a month after deductions. You want us to work overnight and risk our lives for this? Keep belittling and despising us. The ones unprotected at critical moments are you guys."

Another netizen commented on the national outrage over the Incheon floor noise stabbing incident, saying, "This country and its people have made the police like this. Endure with grit and spirit."

Mr. A expressed anger over these comments, saying, "There are rotten police officers who post such comments," and "How can they protect the safety of the people like this?"

Meanwhile, in the incident that occurred on November 15 last year at a villa in Incheon, two police officers from a district unit of the Incheon Nonhyeon Police Station did not immediately respond despite knowing the suspect was wielding a weapon.

The two officers who responded to the scene were dismissed in December last year, and although they appealed the disciplinary action, their appeal was dismissed last month. The Incheon Police Agency is investigating not only the two officers but also the then Incheon Nonhyeon Police Chief and the district unit chief for dereliction of duty.

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