Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon speaks during a meeting for supporting stalking victims in September 2022. (Yonhap)
SEOUL, Sept. 13 (Korea Bizwire) — The Seoul city government on Wednesday launched the first municipal body exclusively dedicated to supporting stalking victims as the country is grappling with a rise in stalking crimes.
Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon signed an agreement with Kim Gwang-ho, chief of the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency (SMPA), to establish a joint response system against stalking crimes as the new city unit in charge of stalking crimes went into operation, city officials said.
Under the agreement, the city will establish a hotline with the SMPA, which will automatically inform the city of the personal information of a stalking victim as soon as the victim alerts police.
The city body will, in turn, come up with necessary support measures for victims, ranging from providing shelters, private guards and financial assistance for residential relocation to legal and medical assistance to help victims return to normal.
In particular, the city will set up two additional shelters for victims in addition to the current three shelters that host those who are in need of short- or long-term refuge.
The city will also operate a private guard service for stalking victims, in which a team of two private guards will escort high-risk victims in a situation where they cannot hide or be separated from stalkers.
The city government will also provide up to 2 million won (US$1,506) in financial assistance to victims in need of relocating their residence and up to 10 rounds of psychology counseling to victims as well as medical and legal assistance to help victims pursue litigation.
“Even after the shocking stalking murder case at Sindang Station (last year), stalking crimes have not receded, and the recent occurrence of random crimes is stoking people’s anxieties even more,” Mayor Oh said. “The city will establish a dense social safety net to help ensure all citizens live safely because there’s no welfare more important than safety,” he said.
(Yonhap)
