Exclusive: "She Called Me Crying, Saying Her Address Was Exposed... It's Heartbreaking"

[Anchor]

A public servant in his 30s who tracked down and brutally murdered his wife after seeing her address on divorce documents has been arrested. The victim's bereaved family told our reporting team, "The deceased did everything she could to protect herself and her children," adding, "It is heartbreaking that her address was exposed against her will."

This is an exclusive report by reporter Yoo Soo-Hwan.

[Reporter]

A man with his face concealed by a hat and mask heads to the courthouse for his pre-trial detention hearing.

He is identified as Mr. A, a public servant in his 30s who brutally murdered his wife, with whom he was undergoing divorce proceedings, in Gwangju, Gyeonggi Province.

[Mr. A : (Do you have anything to say to your family?) ......]

Mr. A reportedly stated in court that he committed the crime because he felt deeply distressed after receiving the divorce lawsuit complaint, asking the court to take that into consideration.

The divorce lawsuit documents contained the current residential address of his estranged wife. Mr. A, a postal service worker, rode a motorcycle to find her and wielded a weapon in front of their young child.

The court issued an arrest warrant, citing concerns that he might flee, and also took measures such as restricting his parental rights regarding the child.

The victimized woman had filed multiple reports of domestic violence starting in March of last year, and had recently taken refuge at her younger sibling's home to escape her husband.

In a statement sent to SBS reporting staff, the victim's bereaved family stated, "The deceased did everything she could to protect herself and her child," adding, "She even called us crying, saying she was 'so terrified' after learning that her address had been unintentionally exposed during the divorce proceedings. It is tragic and agonizing."

They also expressed regret over the personal protection measures, noting that "all the deceased wanted was not special protection, but to safely continue her ordinary daily life amidst the perpetrator's threats."

The family stated, "We hope that strict punishment will be handed down to the perpetrator, if only for the sake of the child whom the deceased wanted to protect until the very end."

Police plan to assign a dedicated officer to the child who was present at the scene of the tragedy and provide ongoing psychological counseling and treatment.

(Camera: Cho Chang-hyun, Video Editing: Choi Jin-hwa)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.