"Anxious Even at Home" Repeated Illegal Intrusion Attempts... Growing 'Anxiety' Among Single Women Households

Repeated Illegal Trespassing Attempts Targeting Women Living Alone Detected
Women Feel More Unsafe Than Men in Society
Number of Trespassing Arrests Nearly Doubled in the Past 5 Years
Experts Say "Housing Supply Ensuring Women's Residential Safety Is Needed"

A male suspect in his 20s followed a woman returning home in Daejeon for 15 minutes on the 15th and attempted to break into her residence. The police have switched to a public investigation for this man and distributed wanted posters. / Photo by Daejeon Metropolitan Police Agency

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Juhyung] As illegal attempts to break into the homes of single women have been repeatedly detected, the anxiety among women living alone is growing. Feeling unsafe even in their own homes, which should be the safest place, has led to concerns about the "normalization of fear" in daily life.

Experts suggest that to fundamentally resolve the safety issues faced by women living alone, their residential environments need to be improved.

According to the Daejeon Metropolitan Police Agency on the 27th, on the 15th, in Seo-gu, Daejeon, a man estimated to be in his 20s was caught trying to enter a woman’s home but fled after being discovered.

After analyzing CCTV footage, the police confirmed that the man had secretly followed the woman for 15 minutes. When the woman opened the door to her one-room apartment, he tried to quickly break in, but upon the woman noticing and screaming, he immediately ran away.

This incident is similar to a break-in case that occurred in Sillim-dong, Seoul, in May last year. The suspect, Jo Mo (30), was prosecuted for chasing a woman on her way home and forcibly trying to open the door and enter her house after she went inside.

Especially, CCTV footage showing Jo grabbing the door handle just as the woman entered the house sparked public outrage. The Supreme Court confirmed the original sentence of one year imprisonment for Jo in the appeal trial held in June.

Jo Mo (30), who was prosecuted for forcibly attempting to break into the home of a single-person female household in Sillim-dong, Seoul, is entering the Seoul Central District Court on May 31 last year to undergo a warrant hearing. / Photo by Yonhap News

Meanwhile, in August 2018, in a residential area of Yeongdeungpo-gu, Seoul, a male delivery worker in his 30s secretly entered the home of a single woman and was arrested by the police after violently assaulting her when she screamed.

As various crimes targeting women living alone continue unabated, their anxiety is increasing. According to the 2018 Statistics Korea report "Women’s Lives in Statistics," 73.3% of women respondents expressed anxiety about social safety including crime, which is 12.7 percentage points higher than men (60.6%).

Among these, the number of arrests for residential intrusion has been increasing every year. According to police data, the number of arrests for residential intrusion was 8,223 in 2014 but nearly doubled to 15,606 last year.

Given this situation, single women living alone have voiced their experience of the "normalization of fear," having to worry about safety even at home.

A (27-year-old) single woman commuting in the metropolitan area said, "I can’t even order delivery food without worry and use a safe number to place orders. If the streetlights in the alley near my house are off, I have to take a longer route through a brighter area," adding, "I am constantly on alert even inside my home. This is the daily life of a woman living alone."

Another woman in her 20s living alone, B, complained, "I have become cautious about everything, and I have never neglected checking the door locks when going out or coming home. Since living alone, I have never lived without worrying about safety."

CCTV and motion sensor installed on the apartment entrance door. / Photo by Yonhap News

Local governments including Seoul are expanding support projects such as installing wireless emergency bells, unmanned parcel boxes, and increasing CCTV in multi-unit housing or one-room apartments densely populated by single-person households.

In particular, Seoul City launched the "SS Zone (Safe·Singles Zone)" project on the 30th of last month to prevent residential intrusion crimes. This project strengthens security devices on the front doors of single-person households and installs door-opening sensors on windows to prevent break-ins.

Experts advise that to solve the safety issues faced by women living alone, the residential environment must be fundamentally improved.

Kang Heeyoung, head of the Gender Equality Policy Research Team at the Seoul Foundation of Women and Family, said in a phone interview with Asia Economy, "Currently, several local governments including Seoul are providing 'Residential Safety Kits' that include security devices and door-opening sensors to vulnerable groups such as single-person households. These policies can temporarily alleviate the anxiety of women living alone and other vulnerable residents."

She added, "While temporary relief is possible, the fundamental causes of residential safety anxiety cannot be resolved. To address issues such as residential intrusion crimes faced by single women households, it is necessary to provide them with housing in safe and secure environments."

She further emphasized, "Most single women households often face financial difficulties, and good housing is always in short supply. It is important to continue policy support such as 'long-term safe housing'."