Korea sees 70% spike in stalking reports over 2 years

gettyimagesbank

Reports of stalking surged more than 70 percent in just two years despite the government’s enactment of a tougher anti-stalking law.

Meanwhile, the percentage of protective measures granted to victims by courts has been decreasing each year.

According to data from the Ministry of Justice received Sunday by Rep. Jeon Hyun-heui of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea on the National Assembly’s Legislation and Judiciary Committee, the number of reported stalking cases climbed to 13,269 last year.

Reported cases under the anti-stalking act have risen sharply, from 406 cases between October and December in 2021 to 7,626 in 2022 and 10,438 in 2023, respectively. Between 2022 and 2024, reported stalking cases jumped about 1.7 times. As of July, the tally had already reached 7,981.

The Act on Punishment of Stalking Crimes took effect in October 2021, marking a major shift in how such offenses are handled. Previously treated as a misdemeanor that often led to light penalties, stalking is now punishable by up to three years in prison or a fine of up to 30 million won ($21,590).

In 2023, the National Assembly revised the law to toughen penalties for stalking by scrapping a controversial clause that allowed offenders to avoid criminal charges if the victim withheld consent.

As reflected in recent legal revisions and tougher measures, stalking has become a serious social concern in Korea, with numerous cases escalating into murders after starting with persistent harassment.

However, despite the surge in stalking cases and the severity of such crimes, courts are approving fewer protective measures for victims each year. Provisional measures — such as warnings to deter stalking, relocation of victims to protective facilities and bans on coming within 100 meters of a victim’s residence or contacting them electronically — are decreasing every year.

Court approval rates for prosecutors’ requests for emergency measures slipped from 98.4 percent in the final three months of 2021 to 98.1 percent in 2022, 97.9 percent in 2023 and 95.8 percent in 2024, falling further to 93.3 percent as of July this year.

Approvals for requests made by judicial police also dropped, from 94.1 percent in 2022 to 92.2 percent in 2024. In contrast, the rate of court approval for prosecutors’ ex officio requests for provisional measures has remained stagnant at around 84 percent over the same period.

Jeon stressed that it is a dereliction of duty for the courts to hesitate in taking action while victims, desperately in need of help, remain exposed to stalking threats, urging stronger measures to ensure more active protection.