Court rejects warrant for man who broke into neighbor's home at 5 a.m., leaving victim in same building

A man in his 20s who broke into a woman's home in the early morning hours has been released after a court rejected a police request for his arrest warrant, raising questions about whether the victim's safety was adequately considered — particularly given that the suspect lives in the same building as her.

According to the Suwon Gwonseon Police Station in Gyeonggi Province, the suspect, identified only as A, is accused of breaking into the home of a woman in her 20s, referred to as B, at around 4:50 a.m. on Aug. 16 in a multi-unit residential building in Gwonseon-gu, Suwon.

A was found to be a resident of the same building as B. The terraces in front of each unit were connected in a row, and A is believed to have used this access to enter B's home.

B was alone in the apartment at the time. She woke after sensing a presence inside, discovered A standing in her home and immediately called 112, the emergency police line.

After learning she had called the police, A returned to his own unit but was arrested by officers who responded to the scene.

During police questioning, A stated that he had intended to steal valuables. Police sought an arrest warrant, citing the fact that he had broken into the home of a woman living alone at night.

The court rejected the warrant, saying the suspect had admitted to the crime and there was no risk of flight.

A was released Monday, two days after his arrest. He is currently under investigation without detention on charges of nighttime residential burglary and attempted theft.

The ruling has drawn criticism, with some arguing that the potential for further harm to the victim should have been examined more closely. Given that A and the victim live in the same building and that he had already entered her home once, critics say the risk of renewed contact should have been factored into the detention ruling.

Under the current Code of Criminal Procedure, courts weighing detention must consider not only whether the suspect has a fixed residence and whether there is a risk of evidence destruction or flight, but also the seriousness of the offense, the risk of reoffending, and the possibility of harm to the victim or key witnesses.

A police official said no additional charges beyond the residential break-in had been confirmed against the suspect, adding that police plan to refer the case to prosecutors soon.