[Anchor]

At the time of the crime, the suspect, surnamed Choi, was wearing an electronic anklet. He also had a prior record of wielding weapons on multiple occasions. Criticism is mounting as to why this crime could not be prevented, even though correctional authorities had maintained probation due to the high risk of reoffending.

Reporting continues with reporter An Huijae.

[Reporter]

Choi was ordered to wear an electronic anklet due to a 2015 attempted murder case targeting his ex-wife.

He and a person referred to as A met while undergoing treatment for alcoholism and divorced a year and a half later. When he was rejected after demanding a reconciliation while under the influence of alcohol, he pulled out a weapon.

The court ruling stated, "Even after a police officer struck his arm using a baton, he did not drop the weapon and attempted to stab the victim."

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

This decision took into consideration that he had two prior suspended sentences related to weapon crimes and scored at a high level on a risk assessment for reoffending. However, unlawful behavior continued even after his release.

Contrary to the Ministry of Justice's explanation that Choi had complied with guidance and supervision after electronic monitoring began, it was confirmed that he violated nighttime curfew conditions and left his designated area without authorization on four occasions, resulting in 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.

Criticism is rising over whether electronic monitoring is being properly managed, given that Choi committed a brutal crime while blatantly wearing an electronic anklet right after having a consultation and meal with his probation officer.

[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. We should be able to check for imminent danger. But that isn't working either.]

While the number of subjects under electronic monitoring has increased by 20% over five years, the number of supervising personnel has actually decreased, leaving a single officer in charge of about twenty individuals.

Field workers say they are already stretched thin just handling nearly 1,000 cases of probation condition violations per year on average.

Strengthening the capabilities of probation officers, along with resolving staff shortages, 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.]

As the Ministry of Justice began re-inspecting the electronic monitoring management system for loopholes, police plan to secure Choi's probation records soon to examine whether there were any early signs of a crime or circumstances pointing to a premeditated act.

(Video by Choi Dae-woong | Video Editing by Kim Yun-sung | Graphics by Park Chun-woong and Im Chan-hyeok)