A man in his 40s was arrested in Gangneung on the 25th over the killing of a woman in her 40s, his former partner, in Daejeon. The woman had reported stalking last year but said she did not want him punished, and the case was closed; President Lee Jae-myung raised protection for victims of such crimes on the 23rd.
According to the Kyunghyang Shinmun, police said on the 25th that a woman in her 40s, identified as B, was strangled to death by her former partner, a man in his 40s identified as A, in a multi-unit residential building in Jung District, Daejeon. The killing is said to have happened around 12:36 p.m. on the 24th. This paper does not print the suspect’s name and extends deep condolences to the victim’s family.
광고 문의 · 300×250A fled the scene, and police began investigating after B’s family found her body and reported it. Police took A into emergency custody on a murder charge at about 7:40 a.m. on the 25th at a hotel in Gangneung, Gangwon Province. He reportedly admitted the killing right after his arrest. Police are investigating the motive and plan to seek an arrest warrant.
The two earlier reports
The Kyunghyang Shinmun reported that on October 10 last year B told police that A was stalking her by phone calls and text messages. Police ordered A not to approach within 100 meters or contact her, and gave B a smartwatch.
On November 3, however, B said she did not want A punished and returned the smartwatch. Police judged that A had not stalked her continuously or repeatedly and closed the case for lack of charges. On December 27, B called police during an argument with A but told officers who came that she had dialed 112 by mistake, and the matter was closed without further action.
A string of cases and the government’s remarks
The Kyunghyang Shinmun linked the case to a recent series of relationship-related crimes. According to its report, a man in his 60s previously reported for stalking, sexual violence and dating violence killed his former partner in Jeju on the 12th; a woman in her 50s was found dead in the car of a man reported for stalking and dating violence in Asan on the 13th; and a husband living apart from his wife, under a provisional stalking protection order, was said to have killed her in Jeonju on the 14th.
At the cabinet meeting on the 23rd, President Lee Jae-myung said, in substance, that victims of relationship crimes must not be left exposed to continuing threats even after reporting. The article described no specific new measures beyond that remark, and this paper could not confirm any. How to assess warning signs when a victim says she does not want punishment remains a question the system has yet to answer.
