The Ministry of Justice and police said they will share in real time when a person wearing an electronic ankle monitor for crimes such as sexual violence is placed under a restraining order for stalking or domestic violence.
The Ministry of Justice said on the 5th that it has prepared, with the Korean National Police Agency, a cooperative response plan for high-risk individuals with these measures and will implement it starting on the 6th. It also said that when victim protection is needed, a probation officer and police will respond together on-site.
The measure was prepared to prevent a recurrence of the so-called "Namyangju stalking murder case." In March, Kim Hun, who was wearing an electronic ankle monitor for a sex crime, committed a stalking offense and was under a restraining order banning contact with the victim, yet still approached the victim and carried out the killing.
At the time, the Ministry of Justice and police did not share the fact that a restraining order had been issued, which had a major impact. Since January 2024, information has been shared on individuals subject to provisional measures to wear location-tracking electronic devices under the Stalking Punishment Act and the Act on the Attachment of Electronic Devices. However, when individuals wearing electronic ankle monitors for specific crimes such as sexual violence, murder, kidnapping of minors, or robbery-stalking received restraining orders for stalking or domestic violence, there were no procedures for inter-agency information sharing or joint response.
To resolve this issue, the Ministry of Justice and police completed system consolidation between the two agencies on the 23rd of last month so that when an electronic-ankle-monitor subject for a specific crime additionally commits stalking or domestic violence and receives a restraining order, the fact can be shared quickly. They also agreed to conduct a joint response immediately when the subject attempts to approach.
The Ministry of Justice and police also prepared an on-site response procedure for swift and systematic cooperation. If a person wearing an electronic ankle monitor approaches the victim, a probation officer will be dispatched to the offender and a police officer to the victim at the same time to monitor whether the offender approaches the victim, and if the restraining order is violated, the two agencies will cooperate to apprehend the offender. Through this, they plan to ensure the victim's safety as the top priority.
Jung Sung-ho, the minister of justice, said, "We will close institutional blind spots tightly and focus all available capabilities so that the public can enjoy a safe and peaceful daily life free from crime."
Yu Jae-sung, acting commissioner general of the Korean National Police Agency, said, "Taking the Namyangju murder case as a lesson, we have established a response system that focuses on 'current and future risk signs' rather than the offender's 'past crimes.'"