South Korea Develops Real-Time Monitoring Apps To Protect Victims

Illustration of ensemble efforts (photo: dock. pexels)

JAKARTA - South Korea is preparing a mobile application that allows victims of stalking to monitor the location of the perpetrators in real-time when they are around them. This initiative was announced by the Ministry of Justice of South Korea on Wednesday, December 3 as part of a revision of the electronic monitoring law that has been approved by the government.

The application is designed to provide accurate location information to victims, in contrast to the current system which only sends warnings via text messages without showing the exact position of the perpetrator. The ministry explained that the old mechanism makes it difficult for victims to know the direction of the perpetrator's movement and take steps to avoid it.

Under the new rules, victims will be able to see the whereabouts of the perpetrators on the map through their cellphones. This effort is expected to provide space for victims to immediately evacuate to a safe place. The position of the perpetrators themselves is tracked through the electronic devices they are required to wear.

The Ministry of Justice also stated that it is trying to integrate this tracking system into a national emergency hotline, so that police can immediately be deployed to provide protection if the situation requires it. This integration is expected to be completed next year, according to local media reports.

The wave of criticisms of the high number of stalking cases in South Korea has grown in recent years. This phenomenon is seen as part of the problem of violence against women, which also includes cases of spy cameras to threats against female activists.

In 2022, the public was rocked by the murder of a young woman by her former co-worker who had been stalking her for years. Although the victim repeatedly reported, the perpetrator was never detained or subject to a protection order because it was considered a low risk.

South Korea began enacting anti-stationing laws in 2021, which carries a penalty of up to three years in prison and a maximum fine of 30 million won. A year ago, parliament re-revised the regulation in order to lower the threshold for prosecution of perpetrators.

Data from the Ministry of Justice shows reports of stalking cases soaring from 7,600 reports in 2022 to more than 13,000 cases in 2024. The surge marks the stronger public pressure for countries to provide more effective protection for victims in increasingly digital public spaces