"We Made Up," "I Pressed It by Mistake"—Tragedy Strikes Again as Police Trust Words

[Anchor]

Regarding the case three days ago where a woman in her 40s who had been pleading for protection from stalking was murdered by her former romantic partner in Daejeon, the initial response of the police has come under fire. Police protection measures were mechanically lifted upon the victim's statement that they "had made up." When a similar incident occurred last year, the police leadership promised to respond more aggressively, yet this tragedy still could not be prevented.

First, we have a report from reporter Pyeon Gwanghyeon.

[Reporter]

In July of last year, a man in his 20s murdered a woman he had broken up with on a street in Daejeon.

At the time, then-Acting Police Commissioner General Yoo Jae-sung promised to actively respond to relational crimes by conducting a comprehensive inspection of those subject to restraining orders and isolating perpetrators if the risk was high, even if the victim did not wish for punishment.

Ten months later, on October 24, the woman in her 40s who was murdered reported her former partner, A, to the police.

The reason was that he persistently harassed her by contacting her more than 10 times a day.

At this time, the police issued an order prohibiting A from approaching or contacting her, but three weeks later, the victim returned her smart watch, stating that they had reconciled, and A's protective measures were lifted.

Two months later, a 112 emergency call was received reporting that the two were arguing, but the case was closed after statements were made that the button was "pressed by mistake."

And ten months later, on October 24, the victim was found dead in her home.

The police stated that A's stalking behavior lacked persistence and the victim did not actively cooperate with the investigation, making it impossible to manage A any further.

[Bae In-ho / Head of the Criminal Investigation Division at Daejeon Jungbu Police Station: After being arrested, the suspect made statements admitting to the charges, saying, "I was wrong, I want to die." We are currently investigating the suspect's motives.]

However, because violence in relationships such as romantic partners frequently leads victims to ask that perpetrators not be punished out of fear of retaliation, criticism is rising that the police may have easily closed cases by relying solely on statements.

The police plan to apply for an arrest warrant for A on murder charges.

(Photo: Yonhap News) (Video Reporting: Kim Nam-sung | Video Editing: Lee Sang-min | Design: Seo Hyun-jung)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.