Court Rejects Arrest Warrant... Sloppy Police Response... Flood of Accountability Debates (Comprehensive)

Sindang Station Staff Stalking Murder
Legal Community: "Court's Judgment Problematic
Dismissal Judge Should Take Responsibility and Resign"
No Police Action Despite Additional Complaints
Police Chief Orders Fundamental Improvement Measures

At the entrance of the women's restroom at Sindang Station on Seoul Subway Line 2, where a female attendant was killed by a coworker who had been stalking her, citizens continue to visit to pay their respects. Photo by Mun Ho-nam munonam@

[Asia Economy Reporters Kim Hyung-min and Cho Sung-pil] The repercussions of the ‘Sindang Station Station Attendant Murder Case’ are spreading. Calls for accountability toward the courts and police are intensifying, and as loopholes in the Stalking Prevention Act, which has been in effect since last year, have been revealed in various places, voices demanding supplementary measures are growing louder.

On the 16th, the legal community viewed the court’s judgment on the perpetrator, Jeon Mo, as highly problematic. Jeon was first reported on October 7 last year, and although the police applied for an arrest warrant, the Seoul Western District Court reportedly dismissed it. Jeon had already been reported twice to the police on charges of threatening to distribute illegally filmed videos and forcing meetings, knowing the victim as a colleague who joined the company at the same time. These charges were recognized, and he was brought to trial in February and June. The two cases were consolidated, and he had been undergoing trial without detention, with sentencing scheduled for that day. Because of this, if he had been tried while in custody, the tragedy might have been prevented.

The police response also came under scrutiny. The victim was registered in the personal protection 112 system for one month starting October 8 last year. This was from the day after the victim filed a complaint against Jeon on October 7 for violating the Act on Special Cases Concerning the Punishment, etc. of Sexual Crimes (illegal filming using cameras, threats using filmed materials). The police assessed the risk during this period but found no particular issues, and the victim did not wish to extend the registration period, so safety measures were lifted in early November. It was also revealed that when the victim filed an additional complaint against A for violating the Stalking Punishment Act in January this year, no further measures were taken. Regarding this, the police stated, "If the victim does not want safety measures, the police cannot enforce them," and "We can only recommend measures if the risk level is high." Ultimately, there was no institutional mechanism to protect the victim during the 10 months until A committed the murder.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

Attorney Kim Jong-min evaluated on social media (SNS) that "this showed a complete failure of the national duty and responsibility to ensure social safety from crime." He added, "The judge who dismissed the warrant despite over 300 stalking incidents should take responsibility and resign; that is the proper attitude of a judge." A lawyer in Seocho-dong also criticized, "The suspect’s detention should consider not only flight risk and evidence tampering but also the possibility of reoffending, but the judge forgot this." Professor Kim Do-woo of the Department of Police Science at Gyeongnam University said, "At the police investigation stage, the principle of presumption of innocence was followed too strictly, so there is a lack of physical sanctions to make potential offenders aware of the seriousness," and added, "To prevent stalking retaliation crimes in advance, legal and institutional improvements are needed to allow police to intervene proactively at the prevention level."

Minister of Justice Han Dong-hoon visited the crime scene the day before, heard details from related parties, and said, "The state failed to protect the victim," adding, "As Minister of Justice, I feel a deep sense of responsibility." Commissioner General Yoon Hee-geun of the National Police Agency instructed at the ‘National Police Command Workshop’ that fundamental improvement plans, including enhancing the response system for victim protection, be prepared. The Ministry of Justice is currently preparing a partial amendment to the ‘Act on Attachment of Electronic Devices, etc.’ to require offenders sentenced to imprisonment for stalking crimes to wear electronic monitoring devices (electronic anklets) for up to 10 years. The police are reviewing measures including registration in the personal protection 112 system, emergency response, provisional measures, as well as issuing smartwatches and linked patrols.

Jeon will undergo a pretrial detention hearing (warrant review) at 3 p.m. today at the Seoul Central District Court, presided over by Chief Judge Kim Se-yong, who is in charge of warrants. The Seoul Jungbu Police Station, which investigated Jeon’s case, applied for an arrest warrant for him yesterday afternoon. The decision on Jeon’s detention is expected as early as late today.

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