Restraining Orders and Smartwatches Failed... Who Can Victims Trust?

[Anchor]

Much like the case of the 20-year-old man who was arrested on charges of murdering his mother-in-law and kidnapping his wife, institutional measures such as restraining orders and smartwatches are already in place to prevent relational crimes committed by people close to the victims. However, they often prove useless in reality.

Reporter Je Hui-won has more.

[Reporter]

Although police designated the suspect in the mother-in-law's murder, surnamed Kim, as a Grade A management target at high risk for recurring domestic violence, they reapplied for a restraining order early this month only after the initial restraining order had expired.

By going through a new procedure instead of applying for an extension, an 11-day gap was created during which there was no restraining order in effect, and the crime took place precisely within that window.

[Kim Jung-hye / Associate Research Fellow at the Korean Women's Development Institute: While issuing a restraining order is important, there must be a mandatory assessment on how to extend and protect the victim right at the point when that order expires...]

Smartwatches failed to fulfill their role this time as well.

The assigned police officer is required to check whether the device is functioning every week, but it was found that the police were unaware the device had been turned off for nearly a month.

[Song Ran-hee / Executive Representative of Korea Women's Hotline: They are failing to do the most basic things. (Discussing alternatives) as if they will do everything except directly sanctioning the perpetrator... This continues to be proven through deaths.]

As of August of this year, violations of court-mandated 100-meter restraining orders exceeded 950 cases.

Experts point out that since restraining orders alone have limitations in stopping perpetrators from approaching, measures with strong crime-deterrent effects—such as attaching electronic monitoring devices or holding perpetrators in custody—must be actively utilized.

[Lee Woong-hyuk / Professor of Police Science at Konkuk University: Because (relational crimes) lead to gruesome outcomes in a short span of time, immediate isolation must be enforced. Although it is all in the law, the police, prosecutors, and judges are just making complacent, textbook judgments.]

Cases like the United Kingdom, where police or judges have the discretion to determine the duration of restraining orders, or the United States, which places no limits on the number of renewals, are being suggested as alternatives.

At least 137 women were murdered by intimate male partners last year.

Institutional supplements are urgently needed to stop tragedies that occur at a rate of one every three days.

(Video reporting: Kim Se-kyung, Kang Si-woo | Video editing: Jung Yong-hwa | Design: Yang Gi-tae)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.