Seventeen Protected Victims Killed Despite Police Smartwatches in South Korea
Police data show that 17 people issued emergency smartwatches were killed in relationship-related crimes from 2022 through October 12, underscoring gaps in protective measures for victims of domestic violence, stalking and dating violence.
Seventeen people who had received police-issued emergency smartwatches were killed in relationship-related crimes in South Korea between 2022 and October 12 this year, according to Korean National Police Agency data obtained by lawmaker Yang Bu-nam.
The figures show that five such homicides occurred in 2022, one in 2023, one in 2024, five in 2025 and five so far in 2026. Another 10 cases involved attempted homicide during the same period.
The reasons victims had been placed under protection often overlapped. Domestic violence was cited in 14 cases, stalking in 10, dating violence in eight and sexual violence in one. Stalking frequently coincided with domestic or dating violence, highlighting the compounded risks faced by people targeted by current or former partners and family members.
Emergency smartwatches are intended to help protected people quickly alert police. In some fatal cases, however, victims had also been registered in the 112 emergency response system and received tailored patrols around relevant locations. The combination of these measures did not prevent the attacks.
One case occurred in Ansan, Gyeonggi Province, in June 2022, when a former partner went to the victim’s residence and fatally stabbed the victim near the building entrance. The victim had received a smartwatch, 112 registration and customized patrol support. The same package of safeguards had been provided in fatal domestic violence cases in Seoul in June 2023 and Goyang, Gyeonggi Province, in April 2024.
Other deaths involving protected victims were recorded in Incheon, Hwaseong, Uijeongbu, Geoje, Namyangju, Seongnam and Gwangju in Gyeonggi Province, as well as in an October 2026 case in Seoul’s Songpa District.
The records also point to instances in which stronger legal intervention did not take effect. In a 2022 Guro District case, police sought an arrest warrant on assault and other allegations three days before a former partner was killed at the victim’s workplace, but prosecutors did not submit the request to a court. In a 2025 Daegu stalking case, prosecutors requested a warrant weeks before the killing, but the court rejected it.
The government is preparing changes to its response system as relationship-related violence continues. Police are reviewing whether protective steps such as restraining orders in domestic violence cases should be strengthened to a level comparable with measures available in stalking cases. The data indicate that alert devices alone cannot substitute for rapid risk assessment, enforceable separation and coordinated action across police, prosecutors and courts.