President Lee Jae-myung stated today (the 14th) that "relevant ministries must carefully ensure that the response to crimes targeting women and youth does not waver during the process of separating investigative and prosecutorial powers."

President Lee made this promise in a post uploaded to X (formerly Twitter) on this day, stating, "It has been four years since the stalking murder case at Sindang Station."

This case refers to the incident in 2022 where a female station employee was murdered with a weapon by Jeon Joo-hwan, who had been stalking her, inside the women's restroom at Sindang Station on Seoul Subway Line 2.

President Lee wrote, "The message 'We are sorry we couldn't protect you,' left on the memorial wall at Sindang Station Exit 10, still lingers in my memory," adding, "I deeply mourn the deceased and send my condolences to the bereaved family and all victims who are still living in anxiety."

He looked back, saying, "Since the incident, we have revised the Stalking Punishment Act and supplemented victim protection systems. However, the reality remains that victims must leave their homes and workplaces to hide themselves," and noted, "Just a short while ago, there was a tragedy where a wife who fled to escape domestic violence was murdered by her husband."

President Lee emphasized, "When violence repeats and risk signals appear, the state must step in first," adding, "We must not shift responsibility on the grounds of insufficient systems. We must start by ensuring that existing systems function properly in the field."

He went on to promise, "It is not the victims who should have to hide, but the perpetrators who must be stopped. It is not the victims' daily lives that should be restricted, but the dangerous behavior of perpetrators," and added, "The government will seamlessly implement the 'Measures to Strengthen Response to Stalking and Dating Violence' announced last July and hasten necessary institutional improvements to prevent such tragedies from recurring."
 
(Photo: Yonhap News)