President Lee: “We must tackle violent crime with the resolve to declare war”

[Financial News] President Lee Jae Myung said on the 23rd, in connection with a series of violent crimes, “Protecting the lives and safety of the people is the state’s most fundamental duty, and we must tackle violent crime with the resolve to declare war on it.” In particular, he called for a sweeping overhaul of the national crime-response system, shifting its focus from responding after crimes occur to preventing them by detecting warning signs early.
Chairing the “Pan-Government Response Meeting for a Super-Safe Society” at Cheong Wa Dae that day, President Lee said, “People’s anxiety is growing considerably as violent crimes continue to occur, ranging from crimes within intimate relationships, such as those involving family members and romantic partners, to random-motive crimes targeting the general public.”
President Lee said, “These crimes are a serious issue that threatens not only the safety of individual victims but also that of society as a whole.” He noted, “In particular, in relationship-related crimes, victims are repeatedly exposed to ongoing threats or are not adequately protected even after reporting the danger.”
He also stressed, “We must no longer leave people in a situation where they have to worry about their safety even in everyday life,” adding, “We must make a sweeping shift beyond responding after the fact to a system focused on prevention, including by establishing systems that can detect warning signs early.”
President Lee urged, “Based on a thorough analysis of whether there were ways to prevent crimes that have already occurred, we must draw up measures to prevent recurrence, establish the principle of reliably protecting the public from the risk of similar crimes, and put it into practice.”
He also said, “I arranged this meeting so that all relevant ministries could come together amid a grave sense of crisis and discuss drastic measures,” emphasizing the need for a pan-government response.
President Lee said, “The pan-government action plan for a super-safe society that we will discuss today is a starting point for creating a society where everyone can feel safe and reassured in their daily lives.” He added, “There must not be even the slightest lapse in protecting the lives and safety of the people, and I hope today’s discussion will produce effective measures that allow the public to feel the difference.”
[email protected] Choi Jong-geun, Seong Seok-woo Reporter