An incident in which a couple in their 40s was found deceased in a villa at Gangbuk-gu, Seoul, has triggered a critical examination of the efficiency and effectiveness of police response.

On September 1, the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency submitted an incident report to the office of Democratic Party lawmaker, Lim Ho Seon, detailing the sequence of the events that took place.

According to the report, a middle-aged woman, identified as Ms. A, made an emergency 112 call via her mobile phone at 3:39 AM on the 28th of the previous month. After her cryptic cry for help, the police were able to trace the woman's location despite Ms.A only uttering a single word, "why," in a hushed tone without providing any reasons or her whereabouts.

In response to the distress call, the police activated the second-highest response level, Code 1 (Priority Dispatch), in line with their emergency response protocols. They arrived in the vicinity of the nearest confirmed communication tower to the call's origin within 9 minutes of the call.

Upon their arrival, surveillance footage revealed that the police remained in their patrol car for roughly 4 minutes. Additionally, they were captured on camera taking a 14-minute break outside their vehicle, during which they smoked and stretched. Notably, this occurred merely 40 meters from Ms. A's residence before they eventually left the scene.

On the day of the incident, Ms. A's younger sister informed the police at 4:14 AM, 35 minutes after the initial report, that "Ms. A resides near the Suyu Market in a one-room apartment."

After searching the Suyu Market area with their patrol car, the police handed over the case to another team on the same day at 5 AM.

Ms. A was ultimately found dead at 8:58 PM on the same day, 17 hours after the initial report. It was reported that Ms. A's family went to her apartment on the 2nd floor of the villa and, finding the door locked, climbed a ladder outside the window to discover Ms. A lying unconscious.

At the time of discovery, Ms. A's hands were bound with blue tape, and there were signs of assault on her face and body, as well as stab wounds. Traces of arson and a weapon were also found inside the house. In addition to Ms. A, a deceased male body was also discovered.

Justifying their delayed response, a police official claimed the early morning hours and limited information from the 112 call posed significant challenges, making a large-scale search in the densely populated residential area a formidable task.

The police official explained, "Considering the early morning hours, conducting a large-scale search was difficult, but we searched places with human presence or lights on in the densely populated residential area using patrol cars." 

The police will conduct autopsies on the bodies of the two deceased individuals to determine the exact cause of death. They are currently investigating the details of the incident, including the possibility of homicide, through mobile phone analysis and interviews with people in the vicinity.