Police to conduct nationwide review of high-risk stalking, domestic violence cases

The Korean National Police Agency's National Investigation Headquarters sent a directive Tuesday to women and youth safety units at provincial and metropolitan police agencies, ordering a comprehensive review of stalking, dating violence and domestic violence cases and the status of victim safety measures in place. The review period runs from Oct. 19 through Oct. 30.

Police decided to conduct the review following two recent cases: the killing of a mother-in-law and kidnapping of a wife in Songpa-gu, Seoul, on Sunday, and a stalking murder involving a woman in her 40s in Jeju on Monday.

The review will cover ongoing stalking, dating violence and domestic violence investigations, individuals classified as monitoring A-rating subjects, and stalking reports closed at the scene following a comprehensive review conducted in the first half of this year.

Cases in which victim safety measures beyond smartwatch provision are already in place will also be included.

Ahead of the full review, the National Investigation Headquarters directed each provincial and metropolitan agency to report the number of cases in each category by Wednesday afternoon.

Police are also pursuing a plan to periodically check the operational status of smartwatches issued to victims through an internal system, and to alert the officer in charge if a device has been switched off for a certain period.

Meanwhile, the man in his mid-20s suspected in the Songpa-gu killing was ordered detained Tuesday. Seoul Eastern District Court Judge Seo Beom-jun, who oversees warrant reviews, issued the detention warrant for the suspect, who faces charges of killing a lineal ascendant and aggravated unlawful confinement, citing concerns that he might flee or destroy evidence.