Kang Myunggu: "30 Murders Occurred Under Police Protection in the Past Five Years"

Average Repeat Reporting Rate Reaches 32% Over the Past 3 Years
Effectiveness of Protection Measures Like Smartwatches Under Scrutiny

Over the past five years, there have been a total of 30 cases in which victims under police protection were either murdered or subjected to attempted murder. In addition, over the past three years, the average rate of victims who reported incidents to the police again while under protection has approached 32%.

According to data submitted by the National Police Agency to Kang Myunggu, Member of the National Assembly from the People Power Party, representing Gumi City Eul and a member of the Administration and Security Committee, there were a total of 30 murder or attempted murder cases that occurred during the period of police protection measures from 2022 through July of this year.

Kang Myunggu, member of the National Assembly's Public Administration and Security Committee from the People Power Party (Gumi-si Eul)

In particular, the rate of victims under police protection reporting again within the protection period averaged 32% between 2023 and 2025. In other words, 3 out of 10 individuals under police protection returned to the police to report additional harm.

Under the current system, personal protection measures are determined based on the risk level of the victim, and the perpetrators of crimes such as stalking or dating violence are also managed according to a separate risk grading. However, if the perpetrator’s risk level is assessed as low, only limited restrictions such as restraining orders may be imposed, which has led to criticism about a loophole in the system.

In fact, in July of this year in Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province, a woman in her 60s who had reported dating violence was murdered by her former partner while under police protection. Although the victim was assigned the highest risk level, the perpetrator was classified as medium risk.

Similarly, in May of last year in Dongtan, Hwaseong, Gyeonggi Province, a woman in her 30s who had repeatedly reported domestic violence was killed by her common-law partner. Despite being equipped with a smartwatch for protection, she was unable to prevent the sudden attack.

As a result, there are growing calls to introduce more proactive protection options, such as location tracking devices that could completely block the perpetrator from approaching the victim.

Kang Myunggu stated, "Retaliatory crimes such as murder and attempted murder are occurring even while victims are under police protection," and emphasized, "There is an urgent need to strengthen the effectiveness of protection measures so that victims' lives can be truly safeguarded."

Police protection should not be limited to acting after an incident has been reported. It is imperative to establish a preemptive protection system that stops perpetrators from approaching before victims sense danger.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.