(Seongnam = Yonhap News) Reporter Kwon Jun-woo = Amid repeated incidents of attacks on women under police protection, an incident occurred in Bundang-gu, Seongnam-si, Gyeonggi-do, where a woman in her 60s who had been issued a smartwatch was stabbed by her ex-husband.
The ex-husband who ran away was caught about two hours later while wandering around with a weapon in front of his brother-in-law's house in Jungnang-gu, Seoul.
The Bundang Police Station in Gyeonggi Province announced on the 19th that it had urgently arrested Mr. A, a man in his 60s, on charges of attempted murder.
Mr. A is accused of going to the house of his ex-wife, Mr. B, in his 60s, in Bundang-gu, Seongnam-si, at around 8:05 a.m. and waiting in front of the front door. When Mr. B, who was about to go to work, opened the door, he pushed inside the house, brandished a weapon and injured her, and then ran away.
Mr. B's family confirmed that Mr. A entered the house and ran away at 8:23 a.m. through the CCTV installed at the front door, and when they were unable to contact Mr. B, they called 112 at 8:30 a.m.
The police and fire authorities who arrived found Mr. B lying bleeding in the living room of the house and transported him to a nearby hospital.
It is reported that Mr. B was conscious at the time of transport, but had difficulty communicating.
When the first report was received, the police requested cooperation and protective measures from the Seoul police based on B's daughter's statement that "her father does not have a good relationship with her second aunt (B's older sister)."
The Seoul area police, who received a request for cooperation, found Person A wandering around with a weapon in front of Person B's sister's home in Jungnang-gu, Seoul at 10:19 am and arrested Person A.
It was confirmed that there was no problem with Ms. B’s sister’s safety.
Previously, on the 16th, Mr. B visited the police station with his daughter and an acquaintance and applied for personal protection.
At the time, B requested payment for a smartwatch, saying, “I am anxious because I received a call from my ex-husband, whom I divorced three years ago, asking me to have a meal with the family at home.”
It was discovered that Mr. A, who worked on nuclear power plants in the Middle East, came to Mr. B's house without notice around 8 a.m. on the 12th after returning to Korea in July of this year.
On that day, Mr. A said to Mr. B, "Let's get together as a family," and four days later, on the 16th, he called and asked to meet with his children at home.
During the counseling process, there were no specific statements of criminal damage, such as threats or continued contact after the divorce, but it was reported that there was a mention that he had been injured in the head by Mr. A with an object during his past marriage.
At the time, the police provided guidance on filing a formal case, issuing a warning to Mr. A, providing temporary accommodation, and applying for restrictions on access to resident registration, but it was learned that Ms. B expressed her intention not to file a case or take warning measures, saying, "It could irritate her husband."
For this reason, the police explained that no emergency or provisional measures were taken, such as filing a formal criminal case or prohibiting access to the perpetrator, and only safety measures such as providing a smart watch were implemented at the victim's request.
It is reported that there was no past history of domestic violence or stalking-related 112 reports between the two.
The police designated a month from the 16th of this month to the 15th of next month as a safety measure period for crime victims and issued a smartwatch to Mr. B. 112-linked patrol measures were also implemented in residential areas.
Afterwards, Mr. B stayed at an acquaintance's house and a relative's house in Seoul instead of temporary accommodation, but returned home the day before to go to work, and it was found that he suffered an accident on the way to work that morning.
At the time of the crime, no emergency call was made through the smartwatch. The police believe that Mr. A pushed his way into the house and attacked the moment the front door opened, leaving Mr. B no time to press the button.
While the police are transporting Mr. A for investigation, they are also checking with the police officers who provided counseling at the time to see if there were any shortcomings in the initial risk assessment and protective measures.
