[Anchor]

An arrest warrant has been requested for a man in his 30s who is a public official accused of murdering his wife while they were undergoing divorce proceedings. The victim pressed the police-provided smartwatch, but once again, the device failed to prevent the tragedy, highlighting an urgent need for alternatives.

Reporter Bae Seong-jae has the details.

[Reporter]

At 7:17 AM yesterday (September 1), a smartwatch alert signaling an emergency was received by the police from a villa in Gwangju, Gyeonggi Province.

With location tracking available, police arrived at the scene within three minutes, but the suspect had already fled.

CCTV footage showed that a police patrol car arrived just one minute after the suspect, a man in his 30s and a public official who attacked his wife undergoing divorce proceedings with a weapon, escaped the scene on a motorcycle.

The victim ultimately died, and the suspect was apprehended four hours and a half after fleeing.

This is not the first time that a smartwatch alert has failed to prevent a brutal violent crime stemming from a relationship.

A woman in her 20s murdered by a man named Kim Hoon in Namyangju, Gyeonggi Province, in March, and a woman in her 60s murdered by her former romantic partner in Seongnam two months ago, both requested help using police-provided smartwatches, but the tragedies could not be prevented.

Police arrived at the scene eight minutes and three minutes after the reports were received, respectively, but the incidents had already taken place.

This is why critics point out that smartwatches are virtually useless once the perpetrator has already approached and the danger has been recognized.

While they may help in prompt first aid or apprehending the suspect, they fail to prevent the crime itself.

[Park Mi-rang / Professor of Police Science, Hannam University: Since we cannot predict and dispatch units in advance, I think this is an inevitable limitation of the current system. We need to consider whether there are aspects of police manuals or criteria for assessing risk that need further institutional improvement.]

Police requested an arrest warrant for the suspect today (September 2).

Considering that the couple's young child was present at the scene of the crime, police explained that they deemed emotional abuse to have taken place and applied charges of child abuse alongside murder.

(Video Editing: Choi Jin-hwa)

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[Anchor]

Reporter Bae Seong-jae, who covered this incident, is here with us.

Q. Are there no alternatives to smartwatches?

[Reporter Bae Seong-jae: Electronic ankle monitors can be cited as a relatively effective alternative. Instead of a smartwatch used by the victim, electronic monitors are attached to the perpetrator, and if they approach within 2 kilometers, it provides advance notification. Starting in January of the year before last, the Stalking Punishment Act was strengthened to mandate electronic ankle monitors not only for sex offenders but also for high-risk stalking perpetrators. However, domestic violence perpetrators like the suspect in this case are not fundamentally subject to electronic ankle monitors unless their actions escalate to sex offenses or high-risk stalking crimes. Furthermore, critics point out that the court approval rate for electronic monitoring attachments is only 30 percent due to human rights infringement concerns, and that the police themselves are not proactive in applying for them. As the causes and patterns of violent crimes leading to tragic sacrifices become increasingly complex, discussions on various countermeasures to prevent them appear necessary.]

Q. Could the victim not have relocated her residence?

[Reporter Bae Seong-jae: According to our reporting, the deceased woman had been staying at her younger sibling's home with her young daughter to escape her husband's threats. We learned that after realizing her address was exposed, she was issued a smartwatch, and the police also recommended moving to temporary accommodation. However, the temporary accommodation available for her to stay with her daughter was commercial lodging such as a motel. As a result, it was reportedly not used because it was too far from the victim's workplace and the daycare center attended by her daughter. While some regions are reportedly pushing to utilize Korea Land and Housing Corporation (LH)-operated rental housing as temporary shelters, they are facing difficulties due to budget and other issues. Critics emphasize the need for meticulous support that allows victims to be safely separated from perpetrators while maintaining their daily lives.]

(Video Editing: Choi Jin-hwa, Design: Kang Yoon-jung)