Namyangju Stalking Murder Case: 16 Police Officers Face Disciplinary Action for Inadequate Response

Police have referred 16 officers deemed responsible for failing to properly handle the 'Namyangju stalking murder case' for disciplinary action. Two of them will face further investigation into related suspicions.

The case originated on the 14th of last month when perpetrator Kim Hun, 44, stalked and ultimately murdered a woman in her 20s. The victim was a recipient of police protection measures and had been issued a smartwatch. However, amid widespread criticism that police response failed to prevent the murder, the issue of inadequate handling came to light. The National Police Agency stated on the 7th that "we have confirmed complacency and inadequacies in the overall police response."

Following an order from President Lee Jae-myung, an internal investigation began on the 16th of last month into about 20 police officers from the Gyeonggi Bukbu Provincial Police Agency, Guri Police Station, Namyangju Nambu Police Station, and Seoul Nowon Police Station. During the probe, the Guri Police Station chief was reassigned for failing to properly implement the provincial agency's order to separate the victim and Kim Hun. The two officers referred for investigation belong to the Guri and Namyangju Nambu Police Stations and are suspected of falsely recording the victim's safety status in internal portals without proper verification procedures.

As a result of this incident, police have launched a full investigation into the 22,388 relationship crime cases currently under investigation, classifying 1,626 as high-risk. During the period, 389 arrest warrants, 460 detention requests, and 371 electronic tag applications were filed, with daily average applications increasing by 3 to 8 times compared to the previous year. However, the warrant approval rate for arrests decreased from 59.7% to 35.7%, and the detention decision rate fell from 45.4% to 26.5%.

A National Police Agency official stated, "We will continue discussions with relevant ministries to increase arrest warrant approval rates and provisional measure decision rates," adding, "We will do our best to isolate perpetrators and protect victims."