Seoul Court Orders Arrest of Man Who Let Ankle Monitor Die

A South Korean court on Tuesday (Nov 3) issued an arrest warrant for a man in his 50s who allegedly let his electronic ankle monitor run out of battery and threatened a knife rampage at the presidential office and two police headquarters, SBS News reported.

Senior warrant judge Yang Hwan-seung of the Seoul Eastern District Court granted the warrant after questioning the man, identified only as A, at a hearing that began at about 2.30pm. According to SBS, the judge cited a high risk that he would flee, given the gravity of the alleged offence and his lack of social ties, and a high risk that he would offend again.

Ankle monitor left uncharged

The man had been ordered to wear a location-tracking ankle monitor as a provisional measure in a stalking case, the Seoul Economic Daily reported. He is accused of deliberately refusing to charge the device so that its battery died.

On Sunday (Nov 1), he allegedly phoned an official at the Seoul Eastern Probation Office and threatened to go on a knife rampage at the Blue House, the National Police Agency and the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency.

Acting on a report from the probation office, police arrested him without a warrant at about 12.20pm the same day in Naesu-dong, in Seoul’s Jongno district. Police said no weapon was found.

Court cites flight risk

Jongno Police Station handed the man over to Songpa Police Station, which had handled the earlier stalking case. Songpa police applied for an arrest warrant on Monday (Nov 2), and the Seoul Eastern District Prosecutors’ Office requested it from the court the same day.

He faces charges under South Korea’s stalking punishment law for undermining the effectiveness of the electronic monitoring device, according to the Seoul Economic Daily.

SBS reported that the man arrived for the hearing in knee-length shorts, with the ankle monitor visible on his left ankle. He did not answer reporters’ questions about why he let the battery die or why he told the probation office about his plan in advance.

Stalking trial already under way

The man was indicted on stalking charges in September and is currently standing trial in that case, both outlets reported. With the warrant granted, he will remain in custody while police continue their investigation into the ankle monitor case and the alleged threats.

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