Lee calls for measures against violent crime with “resolve to declare war”; Cheong Wa Dae to hold emergency meeting this evening

[Financial News] Following President Lee Jae-myung’s instruction on the 15th to “swiftly draw up extraordinary measures with the resolve to declare war” against violent crime, Cheong Wa Dae will hold a joint meeting of relevant ministries this evening.
Cheong Wa Dae said it would hold a meeting on measures to address crimes driven by abnormal motives, relationship-based crimes, and crimes targeting socially vulnerable groups, chaired by Policy Chief Ha Jun-kyung. The Office for Government Policy Coordination, the Ministry of Justice, the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family, the Ministry of Health and Welfare, the Ministry of Education, the National Police Agency, and others will attend.
The meeting will hear reports on ways to ensure on-the-ground response capabilities with victim protection as the top priority, measures to improve the management and oversight system for electronic monitoring, and plans to protect and support crime victims. It will also discuss ways to strengthen the mental health emergency response system and violence-prevention education in schools.
Ha said, “We need to go beyond measures targeting victims that can constrain their daily lives and prioritize sanctions against perpetrators, as well as management and prevention efforts.” He added, “We aim to create a society where people feel more secure by responding firmly to crimes that undermine the public’s peaceful everyday lives and safety.”
He said, “At today’s meeting, we plan to discuss and report to the president not only effective short-term measures to prevent heinous crimes targeting socially vulnerable groups, but also long-term measures to curb incidents as much as possible.”
Earlier that day, at the 49th Senior Secretaries and Aides Meeting, chaired by the president and held at Cheong Wa Dae’s main building, President Lee stressed, “These crimes, which threaten the lives of innocent people, are a very serious problem that endangers not only the individual victims but the safety of society as a whole.” He added, “Given that the victims of these crimes are mainly women and other vulnerable people, more thoughtful and special measures are needed.”
He stressed, “The relevant ministries must act with a grave sense of crisis and swiftly draw up extraordinary measures with the resolve to declare war on violent crime, including relationship-based crimes committed by family members, romantic partners, colleagues, and others, as well as indiscriminate crimes targeting the general public.”
President Lee called for the creation of “a pan-government joint response body dedicated to this” and said, “We must first carefully check whether there may have been any gaps in existing measures.” He went on to say, “I hope you will actively pursue a major reinforcement of staffing, organizational capacity, and equipment,” and stressed, “I hope you will properly establish a robust system for crime prevention, rapid on-site response, and comprehensive victim protection and support.”
On the 13th, when the knife rampage occurred in Incheon, President Lee also visited the Incheon Metropolitan Police Agency in person, received a briefing on the circumstances of the incident, and ordered extraordinary measures against violent crime.

[email protected] Seong Seok-woo Reporter