South Korea's justice ministry announced a new mobile app on April 5 that will allow stalking victims to track the locations of offenders wearing ankle monitors. The app, set for launch in June after trials, follows criticism over the killing of a woman in her 20s by her stalker last month. The ministry is integrating its tracking system with police for faster responses.
South Korea's justice ministry announced on April 5 a new mobile application that will allow stalking victims to check the location of stalkers wearing ankle monitors when they approach within a certain distance. The app is set to launch in June following trials.
The initiative follows the killing last month of a woman in her 20s by her stalker, who was wearing an ankle monitor and subject to multiple restraining orders. The victim was under police protection with a smartwatch, yet the attack occurred, drawing criticism of authorities.
The ministry is integrating its location-tracking system with police reporting to enable swift officer responses in stalking cases.
In 2024, South Korea recorded 13,533 stalking cases, a 12.3 percent rise from the previous year, with 54.2 percent involving current or former intimate partners and 76.2 percent of offenders being men, according to gender ministry data. The anti-stalking law, enacted in 2021, imposes up to three years in prison, or five years if weapons are carried.
