Police Arrived in 3 Minutes, But Victim Was Killed Where She Pressed Her 'Watch'

[Anchor]

A woman in her 60s who was killed by her ex-boyfriend with a weapon in Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province, yesterday (July 5) was already under police protection. Despite having a restraining order and wearing a police-issued smart watch, the crime could not be prevented. Critics are pointing out that the current protection system, which focuses on responding after an incident, must be changed to a method that prevents the perpetrator from approaching the victim in the first place.

Reporter Dong Eunyeong reports.

[Reporter]

The 60-year-old woman was murdered by her former partner about a month after she reported him for stalking.

From the day he received a warning from the police, the perpetrator made 15 phone calls over two days and sent eight text messages complaining, asking, "Why aren't you answering the phone?"

It has been confirmed that he was classified as a high-risk individual under the risk assessment system established following the stalking murder case in Namyangju.

However, he did not meet the criteria for a recommendation for an arrest warrant, and a court-issued restraining order was granted, along with a police smart watch provided to the victim for emergency situations.

Yet, on the day of the crime, neither the restraining order nor the police officers who arrived within three minutes of the smart watch alert could prevent the tragedy.

With the news of recurring stalking-related murders, there is growing demand to change the victim protection system to one that physically blocks the perpetrator from approaching the victim in advance.

The argument is that if physical detention is difficult, perpetrators should be required to wear electronic devices that allow for location tracking, triggering a police response if they approach the victim.

[Interview: Heo Min-sook / National Assembly Research Officer: If a victim presses the smart watch and is murdered right there, it might help find the body quickly. If it was determined that the victim needed to wear a smart watch, it should be the perpetrator who is monitored.]

Although a system that allows for the attachment of electronic devices from the investigation stage is currently in place, critics point out that it does not function quickly due to complex procedures involving court decisions.

The police and the Ministry of Justice announced that starting today, they will implement a system to share location information in real-time and respond jointly in cases where individuals already wearing electronic anklets are issued restraining orders.

(Video Editing: Jung Seong-hun, Design: Seo Seung-hyun)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.