Stalking Cases Surge from 136 to 649 Monthly on Average... Supreme Prosecutors' Office Orders Strict Crime Crackdown

10 Months Since the Enforcement of the Stalking Punishment Act

Seoul Seocho-dong Supreme Prosecutors' Office / Photo by Hyunmin Kim kimhyun81@

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Daehyun] Since the Stalking Punishment Act was enacted, the number of stalking cases received by the prosecution has increased more than fourfold on a monthly average over the past 10 months.

On the 23rd, the Supreme Prosecutors' Office instructed all local prosecution offices nationwide to strengthen rapid protection measures for victims and to adopt a principle of detention and investigation for stalking offenders who pose a risk of serious crimes, based on the case handling results over the past 10 months.

In the fourth quarter of last year, the prosecution received an average of 136 stalking cases per month, but in the first and second quarters of this year, the numbers rose to 486 and 649 cases respectively. This represents a 4.7-fold increase compared to the fourth quarter of last year.

When there is concern about recurrence after a stalking report, emergency protective measures (prohibiting approach within 100 meters of the residence and prohibiting access via telecommunications) and provisional measures (which include emergency protective measures plus possible detention in a jail or detention center) were also implemented. From October last year to July this year, the prosecution recorded a total of 2,725 emergency protective measures and 4,638 provisional measures.

The Supreme Prosecutors' Office emphasized that crimes involving continuous and repeated harm to victims should be prosecuted under the Stalking Punishment Act even if they were not initially classified as stalking crimes, and that the motive and extent of harm should be thoroughly reflected during investigation and trial to ensure strict punishment.

Additionally, to resolve issues where victim protection was delayed due to improper management of emergency protective and provisional measures histories of stalking offenders, a "Stalking Offender Information System" was established within the Criminal Justice System (KICS) to carefully assess the risk of reoffending by individuals with such histories in advance.

A representative from the Supreme Prosecutors' Office explained, "Especially in cases where violence occurs in dating relationships, there tends to be reluctance to report, requests for leniency, or withdrawal of complaints, resulting in relatively lenient treatment. Since stalking crimes have the potential to escalate into serious crimes, we plan to respond actively from the outset."