Amid criticisms that the implementation of temporary protective measures for the victim was delayed in the case of a man in his twenties who murdered his mother-in-law and abducted his wife, Chief Judge Kim Lae-ni of the Suwon Family Court stated on the 16th that she would devise measures to prevent recurrence.

During the parliamentary audit held by the National Assembly Legislation and Judiciary Committee that day, Progressive Party Lawmaker Son Sol pointed out, "The prosecution applied for temporary protective measures for the victim on the 8th, and the court approved them four days later on the 12th. The incident occurred on the 11th, the day before the approval. Have you considered any shortcomings or measures to prevent recurrence?"

Chief Judge Kim responded, "The previous first temporary measure expired on September 30. Had an extension application been filed before then, it could have been extended," adding, "Even though urgent measures could have been taken first by the police with the court responding afterwards, it was applied for as a new temporary measure."

She continued, "The second temporary measure was received on the 8th, and because it was a weekend spanning from Friday to Sunday, the decision was made on Monday the 12th," explaining that while urgent cases are sometimes processed on the same day, this case was not deemed as such at the time.

Lawmaker Son then pointed out, "When the initial incident occurred in Seoul, temporary measures were implemented within a day, and a tragic event took place while the subsequent measures were being delayed. I am aware that processing periods became prolonged across the police, prosecution, and court stages, but agencies must not pass the buck to one another."

In response, Chief Judge Kim stated, "We will tighten our procedures and come up with countermeasures."

Previously, at around 5:38 a.m. on the 11th, a man in his twenties visited his wife's family home in Songpa-gu, Seoul, stabbed and killed his mother-in-law in her fifties, and fled with his wife—who was in the middle of a lawsuit to nullify their marriage—in a vehicle.

It was pointed out that although the suspect had previously been booked by the police for domestic violence and a round of temporary protective measures had been issued, a crime occurred during the reapplication and approval process, creating a gap in victim protection.

(Photo: Yonhap News)