"Settle the Date Expenses" - 30s Man Stalking Ex-Girlfriend Faces Final Outcome

Court Sentences Fine of 5 Million Won

The court sentenced a man in his 30s to a fine for continuously threatening and stalking his ex-girlfriend, demanding reimbursement for dating expenses.

According to Yonhap News on the 18th, Chief Judge Kim Kyung-chan of the Criminal Division 3 at Cheongju District Court sentenced A (33) to a fine of 5 million won on charges of extortion and violation of the Act on the Punishment of Stalking Crimes. The court also ordered him to pay 2 million won in extortion damages and to complete a 40-hour stalking treatment program.

[Photo by Yonhap News]

A was indicted on charges of repeatedly stalking B, a woman in her 30s who was his girlfriend, by waiting in front of her home and workplace from September 13 to October 10 last year after she broke up with him in September. He stalked her six times in total by handing her flowers and ringing her doorbell.

After B refused to meet him, he sent messages demanding "1.5 million won for dating expenses." When he did not receive the money, A threatened, "If you don't send the money, I will hold a one-person protest in front of your company." He actually went to her company again to demand settlement and managed to obtain 2 million won.

Standing trial, A denied the charges, claiming it was "a simple quarrel between lovers." He argued that he was rightfully reimbursed for the dating expenses incurred during their relationship, but the court did not accept this.

Chief Judge Kim explained the sentencing, saying, "Although there is no legal obligation for the victim to reimburse expenses incurred during the relationship, he continuously demanded money and visited the victim, so this cannot be considered a legitimate act. Considering the victim’s mental distress, his lack of remorse, and the frequency and number of stalking acts, the sentence was determined."

Meanwhile, according to National Assembly statistics, since the enforcement of the Stalking Punishment Act, 55,796 stalking-related reports have been filed at 112 until July 2023. This averages 2,536 cases per month and about 86 cases per day. Additionally, from October 21, 2021, to July 2023, the police arrested 17,300 people for violating the Stalking Punishment Act.

The government implemented the "Act on the Prevention of Stalking and Protection of Victims" on July 18 last year to strengthen stalking prevention and victim protection and support, but its effectiveness has been continuously questioned. Only in the second half of this year, one year later, has a preliminary survey begun to compile statistics and basic data related to stalking crimes, with the first full survey expected to be conducted starting in 2027.