"He Wouldn't Drop Weapon Even When Struck by Police"... Why Couldn't Tragedy Be Prevented?

[Anchor]

At the time of the crime, a man surnamed Choi was wearing an electronic anklet. He also has a past record of wielding weapons on multiple occasions. Even though correctional authorities continued probation due to a high risk of reoffending, criticisms are rising over why this crime could not be prevented.

Reporter An Huijae has more.

[Reporter]

Choi was fitted with an electronic anklet back in 2015 due to an attempted murder case involving his ex-wife.

He divorced a woman, referred to as A, whom he met while receiving treatment for alcoholism, a year and a half after meeting her. When he drank alcohol and demanded a reconciliation, she refused, prompting him to pull out a weapon.

The sentencing judgment stated, "Even though a police officer struck his arm using a baton, he did not let go of the weapon and attempted to stab the victim."

The court sentenced him to four years in prison and ordered the attachment of an electronic anklet until 2029.

Taking into account that he had two prior suspended sentences related to weapon crimes and that his reoffending risk assessment score was high, these measures were implemented, but unlawful behavior continued even after his release.

Contrary to the Ministry of Justice's explanation that Choi complied with guidance and supervision after electronic monitoring began, it was confirmed that he violated nighttime curfew restrictions, went missing without authorization four times, and was sentenced to a 3 million won fine. He was also caught by police in possession of a weapon during a one-person protest in front of a hospital.

Given that Choi committed a brutal crime wearing his electronic anklet right after having a meeting and a meal with his probation officer, criticisms are emerging as to whether electronic monitoring management is functioning properly.

[Bae Sang-hoon, Professor of Police and Criminology at Woosuk University : They just didn't cut off the (electronic anklet), but he was doing everything else. They should be able to check for imminent danger. But that means even that is impossible.]

While the number of electronic monitoring subjects has increased by 20% over the past 5 years, the number of guidance and supervision personnel has actually decreased, resulting in a situation where a single officer is responsible for twenty individuals.

Frontline workers voice that they are barely pressed to handle even the nearly 1,000 cases of compliance violations per year on average.

Strengthening probation officers' capabilities alongside resolving the staffing shortage is an urgent task.

[Son Oe-chul, Professor of Police and Criminology at Pukyong National University : Probation officers cannot accurately read 100% of these psychological problems because they are not experts. More attention needs to be paid to fostering expertise that can understand and read psychological mechanisms....]

While the Ministry of Justice has launched a re-inspection to check for loopholes in the electronic monitoring management system, the police plan to secure Choi's probation records and other materials soon to investigate whether there were any early signs of a crime or circumstances pointing to a premeditated crime.

Reported by Choi Dae-woong | Video by Kim Yun-sung | Graphics by Park Cheon-woong and Im Chan-hyeok
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.