Agency acknowledges systemic failures in stalking-to-murder cases
New division to monitor victim protection measures in the field
Police vow to build 'victim-centered' investigative framework
The Korean National Police Agency is expanding its dedicated unit for protecting victims of relationship-based crimes.
The agency announced Tuesday it would elevate the crime victim protection team within its Lifestyle and Traffic Safety Bureau's Women's Safety Planning Division to a full division-level unit, strengthening its response to relationship-based crimes such as stalking and intimate partner violence.
"Relationship-based crimes have surged and have repeatedly escalated into serious violent offenses," the agency said. "With public concern over victim safety running high, the agency is establishing the Crime Victim Protection Division to ensure the systemic shortcomings and errors seen in the Namyangju murder case are never repeated."
In March, Kim Hun, 44, stalked a woman in her 20s with whom he had been in a common-law marriage in Namyangju, Gyeonggi Province, and ultimately killed her with a bladed weapon. The case drew widespread criticism over inadequate police response after it emerged that, despite the victim having filed multiple stalking reports, police had neither placed her under protective measures nor questioned Kim.
Jang Yun-gi, 23, who attempted to sexually assault and then killed a high school student in Gwangju in May, had also been the subject of a separate stalking report filed with police involving another victim before he carried out the attack.
The Crime Victim Protection Division will oversee all protective and support measures for crime victims. A new field assessment function will be established within the division to monitor whether victim protection measures are being properly carried out on the ground.
The division will also operate a private security support program to prevent retaliatory crimes, manage the installation of AI-enabled closed-circuit television cameras, and distribute emergency smartwatches for urgent reporting. It will additionally roll out an AI-based program to help frontline investigators identify early warning indicators that relationship-based crimes may be escalating toward serious violent offenses such as murder.
The agency is also pursuing the creation of a Women and Youth Safety Bureau to handle crimes targeting vulnerable members of society. It plans to increase the number of officers dedicated to victim support as relationship-based crimes continue to rise.
Yoo Jae-seong, acting commissioner general of the Korean National Police Agency, said protecting crime victims is "just as important as conducting investigations." He added that the agency would take the lead in building a "victim-centered investigative framework" to ensure that victim protection and recovery functions are not weakened ahead of an upcoming overhaul of the criminal justice system.
arin@heraldcorp.com
