Number of Reports Tripled in One Year
Separate Protective Measures Impossible Due to Lack of Dating Violence Punishment Law
A man in his 30s who killed a woman under police protection due to dating violence and fled is entering the Jungbu Police Station in Seoul last November. [Image source=Yonhap News]
[Asia Economy Intern Reporter Kim Gunchan] While the number of reported cases of dating violence is increasing every year, the police's arrest rate of perpetrators is declining. Following the 'Sindang Station Stalking Murder Case,' the police have lowered the criteria for issuing 'Code Zero (CODE 0 - highest emergency level),' raising the need to enact laws related to the punishment of dating violence.
On the 25th, a woman in her 20s who was experiencing dating violence from her boyfriend was rescued by the police from a one-room apartment in Sejong City. The victim deceived her boyfriend by saying over the phone, as if ordering delivery, "I want to order suyuk-gukbap (boiled pork soup with rice)," and secretly called 112. The police arrived at the scene within 6 minutes and rescued the victim. In July, a woman who was experiencing dating violence was also rescued from an officetel in Seongnam City, Gyeonggi Province. At that time, the police rescued the victim 28 minutes after tracing a brief emergency call saying "Please save me."
The number of reported dating violence crimes is on the rise. According to data submitted by the National Police Agency to Rep. Jeon Bong-min of the People Power Party on the 26th, reports of dating violence were 14,136 cases in 2017, 18,671 in 2018, 19,940 in 2019, and 18,945 in 2020, showing a general upward trend. In particular, in 2021, the number surged to 57,297 cases, tripling in just one year. This year, from January to July alone, 40,339 cases have already been reported.
Professor Oh Yoon-sung of the Department of Police Administration at Soonchunhyang University explained the sharp increase in dating violence reports by saying, "It is not that dating violence did not exist before, but rather that people who did not report it before are now reporting it after related laws were enacted."
On the other hand, the police's arrest rate of dating violence perpetrators is declining. The arrest rate was 72.9% in 2017, dropping to 54.9% in 2018, 49.4% in 2019, and 47.4% in 2020. In particular, in 2021, it plummeted to 18.4%, falling to less than half compared to the previous year.
In fact, in November last year, the police, who received a request for rescue from dating violence, mistakenly dispatched to the wrong location, resulting in the murder of a woman in her 30s at an officetel in Jung-gu, Seoul. It was reported that the police misidentified the victim's location due to technical defects in the smartwatch used by the victim to make the report. The police arrived at the scene only after the second report.
However, a police official explained that the arrest rate should be considered in light of false or duplicate reports. The official said, "If you calculate the actual arrest rate for dating violence, it would be 100% every year," adding, "Dating violence occurs between people who know each other, so when a report is made and traced, it is rare that the perpetrator is not arrested."
The detention rate of suspects criminally charged with dating violence is similarly low. The detention rate was 4.0% in 2017, 3.8% in 2018, 5.1% in 2019, 2.7% in 2020, and 2.2% in 2021, remaining in the single digits. The detention rate up to July this year is only 1.8%.
Professor Oh commented on the single-digit detention rate, saying, "Even if the police apply for a warrant, it is the prosecution at the intermediate stage or the court at the next stage that dismisses it," emphasizing, "In the Sindang Station murder case, the detention warrant was also dismissed by the court."
The police plan to strengthen the response system to violent crimes by lowering the criteria for issuing 'Code Zero (highest emergency level)' following the 'Sindang Station Stalking Murder Case.' On the 22nd, the National Police Agency held a video conference with 112 situation room officials from police stations nationwide, reportedly urging them to "actively consider issuing Code Zero, especially for cases involving women, children, and adolescents."
The police issue response codes in five stages according to the urgency and severity of the incident, with Code Zero being the highest emergency level activated in the 112 call response manual. It is issued only for violent crime cases requiring rapid dispatch. Typically, stalking, domestic violence, and child abuse cases are issued Code 1, but the police plan to raise the response code by one level to respond more actively.
Professor Oh explained the police's plan to relax the criteria for issuing Code Zero as "meaning that the police intend to respond more strongly within the scope of existing laws." However, unlike the Stalking Punishment Act, there is currently no law enacted specifically for punishing dating violence, making it impossible to provide separate protective measures such as emergency response when dating violence occurs.
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