Government developing app showing real-time location of stalkers

South Korean authorities are developing a mobile app for stalking victims to track the location of their stalkers in real time, if they are nearby.

The app, which was announced by the South Korean Ministry of Justice on Wednesday, is part of an approved amendment to the country’s electronic surveillance law.

Stalkers have become a topic of public concern in South Korea, especially as high-profile crimes involving stalking have made headlines in recent years.

Under current law, stalking victims can receive text message alerts when stalkers are nearby — although these do not reveal stalkers’ exact locations.

This makes it difficult for victims to pinpoint the direction of the perpetrator, the Ministry of Justice said in a statement.

Under the amended law, victims will be allowed to see the stalker’s location on a map using their smartphones, allowing them to evacuate to safety.

Authorities track the whereabouts of stalkers using wearable electronic devices.

The Justice Department said it is also working to integrate the tracking system into the national emergency hotline, so police can be deployed to protect victims as needed.

Local media reported that this integration is expected to be completed next year.

Critics have expressed concern about the prevalence of stalking in South Korea, which they see as part of a broader problem of violence against women – many of whom have been harassed. It was secretly filmed by spy cameras And he faced Hostile threats for being feminists.

In 2022, public anger erupted over… He killed a young woman By her former colleague who had been stalking her for years. Although she reported him to the police, he was not detained or issued a restraining order because the authorities considered him “low risk.”

In 2021, South Korea introduced an anti-stalking law that punishes violators with up to three years in prison and a maximum fine of 30 million Korean won ($20,400; £15,300).

In 2023, the South Korean Parliament revised the law to lower the barrier to prosecution.

The number of reports against stalkers has increased since then, from 7,600 in 2022 to more than 13,000 last year, according to Ministry of Justice data.