[Jeju=Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Hwang Jeongpil] The Jeju Police Agency (Chief Kang Hwangsoo) announced that with the enactment of the "Act on the Punishment of Stalking Crimes, etc." passed by the National Assembly on April 20 and set to be enforced on the 21st, they will strengthen on-site responses to stalking crimes and focus on protecting victims.
According to Jeju Police on the 18th, stalking crimes have been considered serious offenses, often seen as precursors to murder and sexual violence. However, they were treated as minor offenses with minimal punishment, which discouraged reporting.
The "Stalking Punishment Act" clearly defines stalking as a crime and establishes special provisions for punishing perpetrators and procedures, as well as various protective measures for victims.
Under the law, stalking behavior is defined as following or blocking the path of the victim, their cohabitant, or family members without justifiable reason against the victim’s will, causing anxiety or fear. Repeated or continuous acts of this nature are classified as stalking crimes.
Going forward, when a stalking report is received, the police will immediately dispatch officers to the scene to take emergency measures such as restraint and punishment warnings. In urgent cases with concerns of recurrence, emergency measures such as a ban on approaching within 100 meters may be imposed.
Furthermore, if stalking behavior is continuous or repeated, the perpetrator will be criminally charged with a maximum sentence of up to five years imprisonment or a fine of up to 50 million KRW. Temporary measures such as a 100-meter approach ban can also be applied if there is a risk of recurrence.
The Jeju Police Agency anticipates that reports of stalking crimes will increase, not only involving simple romantic relationships but also overlapping with other crimes such as cyberbullying, disputes between neighbors over noise or smoking, forming concurrent offenses.
All police functions?including 112 emergency call centers, local police, women and youth investigation units, criminal investigation, general investigation, and cyber units?will take responsibility and respond appropriately. They will share step-by-step operational guidelines covering everything from report reception, initial response, investigation processes, to victim protection and support, and provide training to ensure proper on-site measures.
In particular, the agency is strengthening response capabilities by assigning dedicated stalking officers to the Women and Youth Divisions of each police station during the personnel reshuffle earlier this month.
A Jeju Police official stated, “With the enforcement of the Stalking Punishment Act, the scope of on-site responses such as emergency and temporary measures has expanded. Since criminal penalties can now be imposed for non-compliance with temporary measures, we plan to respond strictly by taking proactive preventive actions and sanctions at early stages before the crime escalates.”
He added, “We will also enhance victim protection by strengthening cooperation with related organizations such as 1366 (a domestic support hotline) and local governments through organic collaboration, monitoring, and linking support agencies.”
Jeju=Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Hwang Jeongpil panax33@asiae.co.kr
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.
