President Lee Jae Myung on Thursday called for South Korea to drastically strengthen its system for preventing and responding to crimes against vulnerable groups, after a teenage girl was killed in a random stabbing attack in Gwangju.
“There was a heartbreaking case recently in Gwangju in which a teenager lost her life in a violent crime,” Lee said in his live-broadcast opening remarks during his weekly meeting with senior aides and secretaries at Cheong Wa Dae.
“I pray for the repose of the victim and extend my deepest condolences to her bereaved family. I also wish a speedy recovery to the other student who was injured.”
The suspect, identified as Jang Yoon-gi, has been arrested on charges of fatally stabbing the 17-year-old girl and injuring a 17-year-old boy who tried to help her on a street in Gwangju on May 5.
“To prevent such a tragedy from happening again, we must drastically strengthen our prevention and response system with the resolve of declaring an all-out war on crimes targeting vulnerable groups, including teenagers and women,” Lee said.
Lee also called for “special policing operations in crime-prone areas to continue thoroughly until public anxiety is eased” and said “online secondary victimization targeting the victim must be dealt with sternly.”
Lee asked “all public officials to do their utmost, with an extraordinary sense of resolve, to protect public safety — the foremost duty of the state.”
Lee’s remarks came as the National Police Agency launched a 10-week special policing operation focused on areas frequented by students.
The agency said Tuesday that the “student-tailored special policing operation” would run through July 22, pledging to “mobilize all available means to ensure safety across students’ daily living areas.”
According to the police investigation, Jang had initially planned to target a female colleague who had rejected his romantic advances and relocated her residence. Police found that Jang had searched for the woman for more than 30 hours while carrying a knife he had prepared in advance, before fatally attacking the high school girl.
dagyumji@heraldcorp.com
