Acting chief of the Korean National Police Agency inspects victim protection and mental emergency response system... “Safety and recovery must also be looked after”

[Financial News] Kim Jong-cheol, acting chief of the Korean National Police Agency, began an on-site visit to review protection for victims of relationship-based crimes and the mental emergency response system. The visit was intended to assess police response capabilities in the field and strengthen cooperation among relevant agencies following a recent knife rampage in Incheon.
According to the Korean National Police Agency, Acting Chief Kim visited Seoul Mapo Police Station and the Seoul Mental Emergency Joint Response Center on the 22nd. The visit was part of the police’s “People-Centered Police Services” policy and was arranged to prevent relationship-based crimes from escalating into violent crimes and to review how the victim protection system is operating.
Acting Chief Kim was first briefed on crime victim protection at Mapo Police Station and personally checked how the smartwatches provided to victims as a safety measure work.
According to the Korean National Police Agency, the number of smartwatches held for victim safety measures rose from 3,700 in 2022 to 10,000 in 2023, then fell to 7,700 in 2024 and 6,300 in 2025. As of September this year, the number stood at 5,200.
By contrast, the number of smartwatches distributed increased from 14,208 in 2022 to 16,690 in 2023, 17,508 in 2024 and 21,974 last year. This year, 19,223 had been distributed through September.
Acting Chief Kim also met with frontline staff, including officers dedicated to victim support and Anti-Abuse Police Officers (APOs), and heard about the difficulties they face in protecting victims as well as their suggestions for improvement.
At the meeting, Acting Chief Kim stressed, “The police should make looking after victims’ safety and recovery, as well as apprehending perpetrators, an important principle of their investigations,” adding, “Please carefully ensure that the various safety measures directly tied to the lives of victims of relationship-based crimes are working properly, and do your utmost to support their return to everyday life so that victims do not have to bear the pain of their experiences alone.”
Acting Chief Kim then visited the Seoul Mental Emergency Joint Response Center to review cooperation between police and mental health professionals in mental emergency situations. He heard about difficulties faced by staff in the field and gathered views on what is needed to improve the response system.
The Seoul Mental Emergency Joint Response Center is an organization where police officers and mental health professionals work together. It launched in October 2022 as the first of its kind in the country. Since then, similar joint response systems have expanded nationwide, and 15 teams are now operating across 12 metropolitan and provincial police agencies. A total of 103 police officers and specialists affiliated with local governments work together in these teams.
According to the Korean National Police Agency, mental emergency response teams handled 9,444 of the 18,877 emergency hospitalization referrals made by police, accounting for about 50% of the total.
Acting Chief Kim said that police officers’ on-site response capabilities and the expertise of relevant agencies should be brought to bear together in mental emergency situations. He also urged the Seoul Mental Emergency Joint Response Center to continue playing a leading role in advancing the national response system.
The Korean National Police Agency plans to improve its system for protecting and supporting crime victims based on feedback gathered during the on-site visit and to strengthen cooperation between police and relevant agencies in responding to mental emergencies.
[email protected] Kim Ye-ji Reporter