The South Korean government will push to introduce life imprisonment without parole to permanently isolate violent offenders from society. In domestic violence cases, the abuser rather than the victim will be removed from the home first, and patrols around the homes of crime victims will be stepped up. The aim is to shift the focus of the response to violent crime from after-the-fact measures to offender management and prevention.
President Lee Jae-myung said at a pan-government meeting on building an ultra-safe society, held at the Blue House on the 23rd, that officials "must approach this with the resolve of declaring war." He stressed that the country "must move sweepingly beyond after-the-fact response to a system of prevention." The Ministry of Justice reported at the meeting that it would pursue the introduction of life imprisonment without parole, along with a legal revision that would make a ban on carrying knives mandatory when courts order electronic monitoring devices for those convicted of murder or robbery. The ministry also said it would step up unannounced inspections. Lee later wrote on X, formerly Twitter, that the government "will move quickly on the measures discussed, including the introduction of life imprisonment without parole."
The Korean National Police Agency will create Reassurance Patrol units staffed with a large number of personnel, and is also reviewing the operation of facilities to house domestic violence offenders who are removed from their homes first. Lee instructed officials to consult with the Blue House policy office on selection criteria, duties and the scale of operations for the patrol units, given their links to job creation programs.
The Ministry of Gender Equality and Family will introduce a review system for deaths resulting from intimate partner violence and build related statistics. The Ministry of Health and Welfare will introduce mobile psychiatric emergency transport teams made up of police officers, firefighters and mental health professionals to respond to psychiatric emergencies. The Ministry of Education will push for early identification of and support for students in emotional or behavioral crisis.
Lee instructed officials to report separately on how the crime victim compensation program is being run, and also called for stronger support for the treatment costs of people with mental illness.