[Anchor]

A woman in her 60s who was killed by her ex-partner with a weapon in Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province, was under police protection. Despite having a restraining order and even wearing a police-issued smartwatch, the crime could not be prevented, leading to calls for a fundamental overhaul of the victim protection system.

Reporter Dong Eunyeong has the story.

[Reporter]

The woman in her 60s was murdered by her former partner about a month after she reported him for stalking.

From the day he received a warning from the police, the perpetrator made 15 phone calls over two days and sent eight text messages complaining, "Why aren't you answering?"

It has been confirmed that he was classified as a high-risk individual under the risk assessment system established following the stalking murder case in Namyangju.

However, he did not meet the criteria for the police to recommend an arrest warrant. Instead, a court-issued restraining order was put in place, and the victim was provided with a police smartwatch to use in emergency situations.

Yet, on the day of the crime, neither the restraining order nor the police who arrived three minutes after the smartwatch alert was triggered could prevent the tragedy.

With news of recurring stalking-related murders, there is growing demand to change the victim protection system to one that physically blocks the perpetrator's approach in advance.

The argument is that if physical detention is difficult, perpetrators should be required to wear electronic tracking devices so that police can be dispatched as soon as they approach the victim.

[Interview: Heo Min-sook / Legislative Researcher at the National Assembly]
"If a victim presses the smartwatch and is murdered on the spot, it might help locate the body quickly. If it is determined that a victim needs to wear a smartwatch, it should be the perpetrator who is monitored."

While a system that allows for the attachment of electronic devices during the investigation stage is already in place, critics point out that the process is too complex to obtain a court decision, preventing it from working effectively.

The police and the Ministry of Justice announced that they will establish and implement a system to share location information in real-time and respond jointly in cases where individuals already wearing electronic anklets are subject to restraining orders.

(Video Editing: Jeong Seong-hun, Design: Seo Seung-hyeon)