Murder of Woman in Divorce Suit Exposed by Address Leak Prompts Seoul High Court Chief to Promise Institutional Reform

Seoul High Court Chief Judge Kim Dae-woong stated that he will improve institutional procedures in connection with an incident where a victim was murdered after her home address was exposed during divorce proceedings.

During the parliamentary audit of the Seoul High Court and other institutions by the Legislation and Judiciary Committee of the National Assembly on October 16, Chief Judge Kim made the remarks after Democratic Party of Korea lawmaker Kim Dong-a pointed out the issue of personal information exposure.

"I think this is a serious problem," Chief Judge Kim said, adding, "I believe it is appropriate to take proactive administrative measures from a judicial standpoint, and we will be able to use this as an opportunity to make supplementary and institutional improvements at this point."

Lawmaker Kim pointed out that if an assailant files a lawsuit first and receives an address correction order, they can obtain a resident registration transcript through it and secure the victim's address.

Earlier on October 1, in Gwangju, Gyeonggi Province, a woman in her 30s who was in the middle of a divorce lawsuit and receiving protection measures after reporting domestic violence was murdered after her shelter address listed in the complaint was exposed to her 30-year-old husband, who was the assailant.

Suwon Family Court Chief Judge Kim Rae-ni stated regarding the incident, "A family investigator who met the victim a few days before the accident said she was the kindest person among the parties they had ever met. My heart truly aches that such a person became the victim of a gruesome crime," while also noting, "The court handled the procedures strictly according to the textbook and principles."

Suwon High Court Chief Judge Bae Jun-hyun said, "Basically, the conventional practice is to have individuals apply for personal information protection measures and process them accordingly," adding, "It seems necessary to actively publicize or guide the procedures through the court when a person submits a complaint."

(Photo: Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.