[Anchor]

A man in his 60s has been arrested by police after allegedly attacking his ex-wife with a weapon and fleeing at a multi-family housing unit in Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province. Despite requesting police protection and receiving a smart watch, the victim was unable to escape the attack.

Reporter Dong Eunyeong has the details.

[Reporter]

Several ambulances and patrol cars arrive at the scene, and shortly after, a woman with her head wrapped in bandages is wheeled away on a stretcher.

At around 8:05 a.m. yesterday (October 19), a man in his 60s, identified as A, attacked his ex-wife with a weapon and fled at a multi-family housing unit in Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province.

[Nearby Resident : Two or three ambulances kept going back and forth, and there were dozens of police cars... They said they wiped away a huge amount of blood with gauze (bandages).]

The woman's child, who was monitoring CCTV footage, reported the incident to police after losing contact with their mother following A's entry into the home.

The victim was reportedly conscious when found, but unable to communicate.

Two hours after fleeing, A was apprehended in an emergency arrest near the home of his former sister-in-law in Jungnang-gu, Seoul.

Based on statements from the victim's child that "relations between the former sister-in-law and A were not good," police are investigating whether A also intended to target the sister-in-law.

[Suspect A : (Why did you wield the weapon?) ... (Did you plan the crime in advance?) ...]

It was learned that three days prior on October 16, the victim had visited a police station with an acquaintance to request personal protection.

She had asked for help, stating that A's sudden recent contact made her feel uneasy, and received a smart watch. However, investigators found that she was unable to press the emergency button before A launched a sudden attack.

Formal criminal booking and emergency measures such as restraining orders prohibiting the perpetrator from approaching were not implemented. A police official explained, "The victim refused them, saying she did not want to provoke A."

Police are investigating A to determine the exact motive for the crime, while also checking the officers who conducted counseling with the victim at the time to see if there were any shortcomings in the protection process.

(Video Journalist: Lee Chan-su | Video Editor: Kim Jun-hee | Designer: Jang Seong-beom)