Woman Killed by Ex-Partner While Returning Home at Dawn Despite Pleas

[Anchor]

A woman in her 60s was murdered by her former partner early this morning, July 5. The man had been referred to the prosecution less than a month ago for dating violence.

Reporter Lee Se-hyeon has the story.

[Reporter]

In the darkness of the early morning, a woman is seen backing away as if she has encountered someone.

Soon after, a man holding an object approaches her.

Around 3:00 a.m. today, a man in his 50s, identified as A, approached his former partner, a woman in her 60s identified as B, and attacked her with a weapon.

[Witness: The woman seemed to be screaming, "Don't, don't," for about 30 seconds. The man kept saying, "You have to die."]

A had been waiting 400 meters away from the victim's workplace before attacking her with the weapon.

B was transported to a hospital by 119 emergency services but passed away. A attempted self-harm immediately after the crime and underwent emergency surgery, but he is reportedly currently unconscious.

Police investigation revealed that A had been referred to the prosecution without detention on June 8 for violating the Stalking Punishment Act after committing dating violence against B.

To protect the victim, police had issued a restraining order prohibiting A from approaching within 100 meters or contacting B, and provided B with a smart watch. However, these measures were insufficient to prevent the crime.

Police believe A began stalking B due to suspicions of infidelity and committed the crime out of resentment over the police report.

Authorities are also weighing the possibility of a premeditated crime, noting that A was wearing work gloves during the attack and had tracked the victim's route home from work.

Last year, 137 women were killed by intimate partners, according to media reports.

While tragedies involving dating violence occur roughly once every three days, there is currently no effective way to prevent them.

[Seo Hye-jin, Lawyer/Korean Women Lawyers Association: Current laws only provide reactive protection. It is urgent to establish legal grounds for proactive, preventive measures to protect victims.]

The police plan to investigate the exact motive and circumstances of the crime once A regains consciousness.

Reported by Lee Se-hyeon | Video by Lim Dong-guk | Video Editing by Park Ji-in | Graphics by Han Heung-soo
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.