President Lee Jae-myung on the 15th ordered officials to swiftly draw up extraordinary measures against violent crime, saying they should approach the task with the resolve of declaring war on such offenses.
Lee made the remarks at a meeting of senior presidential secretaries and advisers held at the Blue House, noting that violent crimes such as deaths caused by domestic and relationship violence and random knife attacks have occurred one after another. "Crimes that threaten the lives of innocent citizens are a very serious problem that endangers not only individual victims but the safety of society as a whole," he said. "Moreover, because the victims of these crimes are mainly women and other vulnerable people, more careful and particular measures are needed."
He instructed relevant ministries to act with a grave sense of crisis. "Relevant ministries must draw up extraordinary measures with the resolve of declaring war on violent crime, including domestic and relationship violence committed by family members, partners and colleagues, as well as indiscriminate crimes targeting unspecified members of the public," he said. He added that the government should "create something like a pan-government joint response body to take charge of this and closely examine whether there have been any gaps in existing measures," and that officials "must also check whether victim protection devices are working properly and whether high-risk groups prone to committing crimes, such as those wearing electronic monitoring anklets, are being properly managed in the field."
Lee also called for stronger prevention and protection, saying he hoped officials would "carefully prepare customized prevention measures by risk level and effective victim protection plans based on an assessment of the actual situation." He further urged that on-site response capabilities be reinforced in preparation for emergencies. "Actively push forward with a large-scale reinforcement of personnel, organization and equipment," he said. "There must not be even the smallest loophole in protecting the lives and safety of the people. I hope we properly establish a system of thorough crime prevention, rapid on-site response and seamless support for victim protection."
Meanwhile, Lim Kwang-hyun, who began his duties as presidential chief of staff on the same day, attended his first meeting of senior secretaries and advisers. "I feel a heavy sense of responsibility in taking on this important post," he said. "I will devote all my efforts to producing results for people's livelihoods by assisting the president so that the lives of the people can improve."