Inadequate Response to 'Stalking Murder'... 389 Detention Warrants Filed After the Fact

Comprehensive Review Prompted by Namyangju Stalking Murder Case
1,626 High-Risk Cases Identified Among Over 22,000 Relationship-Based Crimes
16 Officers Referred to Disciplinary Committee, Personnel Actions for Local Police Chief and Others

#. The Gyeonggi Southern Provincial Police Agency recently arrested and detained Mr. A, who had continued to contact and even threaten his former partner for over a month since January this year. Initially, the arrest warrant requested after the suspect was apprehended at the end of February was denied, and a temporary measure No. 4 (detention in a holding cell, etc.) was imposed. However, after a supplementary investigation led by the local police station, the authorities succeeded in obtaining the warrant and also implemented the attachment of a location-tracking electronic device (measure No. 3-2).

#. The Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency revisited a 'case closed after counseling' and arrested and detained Mr. B, a stalking offender who had turned off his location-tracking electronic device and disappeared. Mr. B was subject to temporary measure No. 3-2 for stalking, but the day after the attachment was ordered, he turned off the device and his whereabouts became unknown. The local police station launched a pre-investigation (internal inquiry) before formal booking and initiated proactive private security for the victim. After two days of tracking, Mr. B was apprehended in an emergency arrest.

As a follow-up to the inadequate response to the Namyangju stalking murder case, the police have launched a thorough investigation into all relationship-based crimes and are taking strong measures such as securing the custody of suspects in high-risk cases.

The National Police Agency announced on April 7 that, as a result of the comprehensive review of relationship-based crimes, 1,626 out of the current 22,388 ongoing cases have been classified as high-risk. Among these, arrest warrants were requested for 389 cases, and detention measures were implemented in 460 cases. Location-tracking electronic devices were requested in 371 cases. As a result, the average daily number of arrest warrant requests rose to 24.3 cases, a 4.7-fold increase from 5.1 cases in the previous year. Detentions increased to 28.8 cases per day, up 7.8 times from 3.7 cases, while the attachment of electronic devices to suspects soared to 23.2 cases from 2.4 cases, a 9.7-fold increase.

During the comprehensive review period, the issuance rate for arrest warrants was 35.7%, the detention decision rate was 26.5%, and the decision rate for electronic device attachments was 35.8%. The absolute numbers dropped due to the significant increase in applications and the concurrent implementation of isolation measures.

In addition, as a result of an internal audit into allegations of inadequate response to the Namyangju murder case, it was confirmed that there were lax and insufficient aspects in the police’s overall handling. The National Police Agency has referred 16 individuals to the disciplinary committee and requested investigations for 2 people. Personnel measures will be taken against responsible officials, including the head of the local police station.

A National Police Agency official emphasized, "Going forward, we will enhance information sharing between the Ministry of Justice on electronic anklet wearers and police on restraining order subjects, and integrate location-tracking electronic devices with the smartwatches provided to victims to eliminate any blind spots in victim protection." The official added, "We are committed to isolating offenders and protecting victims by solidifying a risk-based case classification system through on-site feedback and cooperating with related agencies such as the courts, prosecutors' office, and the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family to improve arrest warrant issuance rates and temporary measure decision rates."

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