KBS Current Affairs Window tracks the reality of women being murdered by intimate partners on October 13 at 10 PM

KBS Current Affairs Window, Tuesday, October 13, 10 PM, KBS1TV

Women are dying. They are killed by lovers or husbands who were once their closest companions. Before they died, they were beaten. They were assaulted so severely that they were left with deep bruises or carried to the hospital after losing consciousness. When a brutal incident occurs, the government hurriedly announces countermeasures. However, as if to defy them, the murder of women continues regardless of whether it is spring, summer, autumn, or winter. What exactly is the problem?

"My daughter, who set the fire, was 'unable to communicate at the time of admission. May die in the event of respiratory failure.' This is how medical staff recorded the condition of the patient brought to the hospital. This patient was a victim who had been beaten by her boyfriend for five years. 'Please save me. Please come. Please.' She had made a total of 31 requests for rescue to the police. However, this woman, who was beaten until just before her death, is now locked in prison. She was a victim, but she became a perpetrator. If we investigate this case from beginning to end, a protective net riddled with holes is miserably revealed.

The signal sent by a mother: Three weeks ago, the mother who reported domestic violence collapsed. The person who found her was her stepfather. The stepfather told her daughter that when he came home, his wife was collapsed, sent her a photo, and then went out to play tennis without taking any emergency measures. Due to the daughter's report, the mother was belatedly moved to the hospital, but she fell into a brain-dead state. The domestic violence reported before the mother collapsed was the third report. However, at that time, the police failed to properly detect the danger signals. The stepfather stated that there was no assault on the day his wife collapsed. The mother, who has been lying unconscious for three years, remains silent today.

The state does not know: Exactly how many women are murdered by their spouses or lovers in a single year? The state cannot provide an answer to this question. Because they cannot even grasp the actual situation, proper policies cannot be produced. As a result of the investigation, there was no system itself in our country to accurately confirm the number of victims of crimes committed by intimate partners. It has been women's rights groups that have sought out statistics neglected by the government to expose the reality. These are minimum figures analyzed from cases reported in the media. How many have we lost this year?

We met "terminally ill survivors"—survivors who barely escaped death at the hands of those who were closest to them. "The perpetrator is being released soon. We are living terminal lives," they said. "Please, let society and the state protect us," they pleaded. And they conveyed the words, "Let's live together and overcome this," to those who suffered the same harm. They said they are living with the hope that if they endure through the hardship, systems and laws will be established. Is the National Assembly of the Republic of Korea responding to these voices embracing blood and bruises?

‘The Closest Killer’ will be broadcast on October 13 at 10 PM on KBS1TV.

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