Prosecution Up 37% After Strengthening Online Stalking Penalties... Over 4,000 Cases in 9 Months

468 Public Defender Cases for Victims... Park Seongjae, Minister of Justice, "Doing Our Best to Improve the System"

Since the act of posting victims' personal information online was added as a type of stalking crime, the number of people prosecuted for violating the Stalking Punishment Act has significantly increased.

The Ministry of Justice announced on the 12th that 4,229 stalking offenders were prosecuted from July last year to March this year, a 36.9% increase compared to the same period the previous year.

From July last year, the amended Stalking Punishment Act, which defines and punishes acts such as posting unwanted personal information or location information of the other party online or impersonating the other party by using their name or photo, has been enforced.

Even if the victim expresses a desire not to punish, the clause requiring the victim's consent for prosecution was abolished to allow punishment of the perpetrator. The Ministry of Justice explained, "Since the enactment of the Stalking Punishment Act in 2021, the number of prosecutions has been increasing annually, and especially after the law was amended to include online stalking types, the number of prosecutions increased by about 37%."

Stalking is often a precursor to violent crimes such as murder, making prompt protection of victims particularly important. Following the legal amendment, from July last year, victims, cohabitants, family members, and reporters can receive personal safety measures, and from January this year, electronic location tracking devices can be attached to stalking offenders during investigation and trial stages.

A system to provide public defenders to stalking victims was also introduced, with support provided for 468 cases over three months starting in January. A system that sends text messages to victims and notifies the police when a stalker wearing an electronic anklet approaches was also introduced and used by 30 people.

However, stalking crimes continue unabated, such as a case where a person persistently stalked his ex-girlfriend for eight months despite receiving several provisional measures, or was arrested and prosecuted again for stalking just nine days after a suspended sentence for stalking was confirmed.

Park Seong-jae, Minister of Justice, stated, "We will do our best to operate and improve the system so that stalking does not lead to violent crimes and victims can quickly escape their suffering and return to a safe daily life."