President Lee calls for stronger fight against violent crime — Korea Herald

South Korean President Lee Jae Myung called on state agencies to urgently develop emergency measures to combat violent crime following a series of attacks in the country. During a weekly meeting with aides, he said authorities must act with determination equivalent to declaring war on such crimes, Korea Herald reports.

Attack in Incheon

One reason for the statement was a knife attack at a large shopping complex in the Guwol-dong district of Incheon. Eight people were injured in the incident, which occurred on Tuesday. Among them was a woman in her 20s who remained unconscious after emergency surgery.

According to the publication, the 59-year-old suspect had previously served four years in prison for attempting to murder his ex-wife. At the time of the attack, he was wearing an electronic monitoring bracelet. That evening, Lee visited Incheon police and called for all available resources to be directed toward preventing violent crime and responding promptly to such cases.

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Review of protection mechanisms

The president proposed creating an interagency task force to combat crimes related to domestic violence, relationship violence or workplace violence, as well as indiscriminate attacks on strangers. He also ordered a review of whether current crime-prevention and victim-protection mechanisms have critical gaps.

Separately, Lee ordered an assessment of whether protective devices provided to victims function properly and whether authorities sufficiently monitor people at high risk of violence, including those required to wear electronic bracelets. He called for strengthening the staffing, organizational and technical capabilities of emergency response services.

Following other serious incidents in Seoul and on Jeju Island, the National Police Agency ordered a nationwide review of cases involving stalking, dating violence and domestic violence, including whether adequate victim protection measures were in place.