Lee marks 4th anniversary of Sindang Station stalking murder, calls for state action against perpetrators

President Lee Jae Myung on Monday marked the fourth anniversary of the Sindang Station stalking murder, paying tribute to the victim and calling on the state to proactively stop perpetrators rather than leaving victims to flee and hide. He also said the government's ongoing push to separate investigative and prosecutorial powers must not create any gaps in protecting women, youth and other vulnerable groups from crime.

Lee took to X, formerly Twitter, to note that four years had passed since the Sindang Station stalking murder, citing the words inscribed on the memorial wall at Exit 10 of the station: "I'm sorry we couldn't protect you."

"I offer my deepest condolences to the deceased and extend my heartfelt sympathy to the bereaved family and all victims who still live in fear," he said.

Lee acknowledged that victims continue to fall through the cracks despite reforms to the legal framework. "Since the incident, we have amended the Stalking Punishment Act and strengthened victim protection measures, but the reality in which victims must leave their homes and workplaces and go into hiding remains unchanged," he said. "Just recently, there was a tragedy in which a wife who had fled domestic violence was killed by her husband."

He urged the state to intervene more actively and enforce existing measures on the ground. "When violence recurs and warning signs appear, the state must step in first," Lee said. "We cannot defer responsibility by citing inadequate systems. We must start by ensuring that the systems we already have work properly in the field."

He said the priority must be stopping perpetrators, not restricting victims. "It is not the victim who should be in hiding — it is the perpetrator who must be stopped," Lee said. "We should not be limiting the daily lives of victims; we should be restricting the actions of dangerous perpetrators."

Lee pledged to push ahead without delay with the government's plan to strengthen responses to stalking and dating violence, drawn up in July, and said follow-up measures would be expedited.

He also called for thorough preparations to prevent any security vacuum during the restructuring of the judicial system. "Even as we separate investigative and prosecutorial powers, the relevant ministries will carefully ensure that our response to crimes targeting women and youth does not waver," Lee said.

"The state will fulfill its responsibility to build a society where no one has to fear stalking — at work, on the commute, or anywhere in daily life," he said, again offering his condolences to the deceased.