Stalking, even if agree with the victim, offender'll be punished.

The Stalking Punishment Act will be revised to allow the perpetrator to be punished regardless of the victim's intention. As in the "murder of a station employee at Sindang Station," it is pointed out that additional damage is feared in the process of stalking perpetrators attempting to reach an agreement with the victim.

On the 19th, the Ministry of Justice announced a legislative amendment to the stalking punishment law, which calls for the abolition of the provisions of the crime of non-punishment against the will of the victim. Justice Minister Han Dong-hoon held a briefing at the Gwacheon Government Complex on the same day and revealed the background of the revision, saying, "The current law has raised the possibility of additional damage during the agreement attempt due to the nature of stalking crimes leading to violent crimes such as murder."

The revised bill added location tracking electronic devices (electronic anklets) to "temporary measures" to prevent perpetrators from approaching victims. Currently, electronic devices are attached only after being convicted by the court, but the revision allows secondary damage to be prevented by filling electronic anklets immediately after reporting stalking. The location information of the electronic anklet will be delivered to the location tracking control center in real time, and if the perpetrator approaches the victim's residence, the police will be dispatched to protect it.

The revised bill also added punishment regulations for "online stalking," which has been pointed out as a blind spot under the current law. The Ministry of Justice plans to submit the revision bill to the National Assembly next month after collecting opinions.

Date: 2023

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