Experts Urge Legal Reform as Online Stalking Surges in South Korea (Image created by ChatGPT)
SEOUL, Oct. 8 (Korea Bizwire) – Stalking crimes have increased in the past three years since the enactment of the anti-stalking law in 2021, a lawmaker said, citing government data.
The number of such crimes stood at 13,283 last year, up 26 percent from 10,545 cases in 2022, according to the Office for Government Policy Coordination data submitted to Rep. Huh Young of the ruling Democratic Party.
Meanwhile, 12,995 people were apprehended for such crimes in 2024, up 30 percent from 9,999 in 2022.
The anti-stalking law, which took effect in October 2021, punishes perpetrators with up to three years in prison, while offenders who carry weapons face a maximum five-year term. Previously, stalking was classified as a misdemeanor.
Huh called for a more active government response against such crimes, noting the justice ministry’s execution rate of its budget last year designated for strengthening the response to stalking crimes stood at 20.9 percent.
“Stalking crimes are no longer just conflicts between individuals but social disasters that the state must take responsibility for and resolve,” he said in a release.
(Yonhap)
