President Lee Orders Strict Action After Inspection of Those Responsible in Namyangju Stalking Murder Case

Despite Personal Protection, Smartwatch, and 112 Call, Tragedy Unfolds
"Strong Criticism for Slow Response from Authorities"
President Orders Swift Implementation of Measures Including Electronic Anklet-Smartwatch Linkage
On Trump's Request

President Lee Jaemyung on March 16 harshly criticized the authorities for their delayed response regarding the stalking murder case that occurred in Namyangju, Gyeonggi Province, and ordered an inspection of those responsible along with strict disciplinary actions. Since the victim was under police protection, had been provided with a smart watch, and even made an emergency call to 112 just before the incident, yet authorities failed to prevent the tragedy, the President called for a fundamental review of the entire response system. The Namyangju case refers to the incident on March 14 where a man in his 40s, wearing an electronic ankle monitor, murdered a woman in her 20s with a weapon. It has been determined that the victim made an emergency report via her smart watch immediately before the crime.

Yonhap News

In a briefing at Chunchugwan on the same day, Senior Presidential Secretary for Public Relations Lee Gyuyon conveyed that “President Lee received a report about the incident that occurred on March 14 and criticized the relevant authorities for responding too slowly and failing to meet the public’s expectations by a wide margin.” President Lee expressed condolences to the victim and offered comfort to the bereaved family, instructing that “the persons responsible for this situation should be subject to inspection and dealt with severely.”

The presidential office determined that this case revealed serious flaws in the system for responding to stalking crimes. Accordingly, President Lee ordered, “Actively separate the perpetrator from the victim, quickly identify the perpetrator’s location, and strengthen the linkage system between electronic ankle monitors and victim smart watches, so that victims of stalking and dating violence can be protected more thoroughly. Implement these measures promptly.”

Regarding this case, controversy is growing over the insufficient response by authorities, as the victim had previously reported to the police multiple times, yet a prompt execution of the arrest warrant for the perpetrator did not occur. The victim was provided with a smart watch in January this year and continued to report stalking incidents thereafter, but the police delayed applying for an arrest warrant while waiting for the National Forensic Service’s analysis of a suspected tracking device found in the perpetrator’s car, ultimately missing the timing.

Senior Secretary Lee explained, in response to concerns that related bills have been pending in the National Assembly without being processed, that “the President has instructed a thorough review of amendments to the Crime Victim Protection Act.” Both inside and outside the government, there have been ongoing calls for amendments to the Stalking Prevention Act and to strengthen protections for crime victims. It is known that the amendment to the Stalking Prevention Act passed the relevant standing committee in the National Assembly last year but is still pending in the Legislation and Judiciary Committee.

Meanwhile, during the briefing, the issue of U.S. President Donald Trump’s request to dispatch naval vessels to the Strait of Hormuz was also mentioned. It is understood that there has not yet been an official request from the U.S. government. Senior Secretary Lee stated regarding the response to the U.S. request, “We intend to respond with utmost caution,” and added, “A decision should be made after sufficient discussion between South Korea and the United States, taking as much time as necessary.” He further noted that “there is close communication between South Korea and the United States,” while refraining from confirming whether any specific meetings have been scheduled.

Regarding the supplementary budget (extra budget), the principle of expediting the process was reaffirmed. In response to questions about the size and timing of the extra budget, Senior Secretary Lee said, “The economic authorities are still reviewing it, and it has not yet reached the stage of being reported to the presidential office,” and emphasized, “The principle is to process it quickly.” On this day, the ruling party and government announced plans to draw up the first extra budget of the year to respond to the Middle East crisis, with the aim of submitting it to the National Assembly by the end of March.

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