"Why Won't You Meet Me?" Stalking Leading to Violent Crimes, Punishment Only 100,000 Won

A man in his 20s who stalked a woman detonated a homemade bomb at her house
Over 2,700 stalking crime reports in the first half of the year... an average of 12.9 cases per day
Stalking crimes classified as 'minor offenses' under current law

The photo is unrelated to specific expressions in the article. [Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Heo Midam] "I'm in front of your house.", "Didn't you like me too?"

As stalking crime incidents continue to occur, criticism is mounting that the punishment for perpetrators is too light. Despite stalking crimes destroying the victim's daily life and causing mental and physical harm to family and acquaintances, the level of punishment is pointed out to be at a 'slap on the wrist' level.

Under current law, stalking crimes are classified as minor offenses, and perpetrators are only fined less than 100,000 won. Experts have urged the prompt enactment of the 'Anti-Stalking Act' to increase the punishment level for stalking behavior.

On the 18th, a man in his 20s, Mr. A, who was unilaterally demanding a relationship, was caught by the police on charges of using an explosive device after detonating a homemade bomb at the victim woman's apartment.

Mr. A made a homemade explosive device and went to the woman's apartment after she refused to meet him on the 17th. During the process of transporting the explosive device, it detonated, severely injuring his hand. Police investigations revealed that Mr. A had repeatedly asked the victim woman for a relationship.

Such stalking crimes are rapidly increasing every year. According to data received by Justice Party lawmaker Lee Eunju, a member of the National Assembly's Public Administration and Security Committee, from the National Police Agency on the 4th, the number of stalking crime reports from January to July this year totaled 2,756 cases. This means there was an average of 12.9 stalking crime reports per day.

The problem is that stalking behavior, which involves following and harassing a specific person, causes extreme fear in the victim, but the punishment remains at a 'slap on the wrist' level.

Under current law, stalking crimes fall under 'continuous harassment' according to the Minor Offenses Act. According to this law, a fine of up to 100,000 won can only be imposed on a person who repeatedly ▲ attempts to approach despite the explicit refusal of the other party ▲ demands meetings or relationships, or engages in acts such as watching, following, or lurking.

The fine is at the same level as leaving dog feces in a park or public urination, and lower than the fine imposed for ticket scalping (160,000 won).

The photo is unrelated to specific expressions in the article. [Image source=Yonhap News]

A man who stalked and threatened a woman for nearly 30 years was sentenced to only 1 year and 6 months in prison. This man met his senior female B during college in 1991 and demanded marriage, but after being rejected, he was tried for stalking by continuously sending text messages and visiting B's house.

In particular, from 2016 to 2019, the man reportedly sent threatening messages such as "My life has been utterly ruined" and "I swear I won't leave you alone" to B 38 times.

There are also many cases where stalking crimes lead to violent crimes such as murder. In May, at a restaurant in Changwon, Gyeongnam, a male customer killed the female owner of a barbecue restaurant because "she didn't grill the meat and was unfriendly." However, police investigations revealed that the perpetrator had been stalking the victim woman for nearly 10 years by sending text messages like "I love you. I want your body" along with obscene materials.

As a result, voices are growing to enact a separate 'Anti-Stalking Act' to severely punish perpetrators. Previously, stalking punishment bills were first proposed in the 15th National Assembly in 1999 and were proposed a total of 14 times up to the 20th National Assembly, but none passed the National Assembly.

Professional Go player Cho Hye-yeon, 9-dan, also revealed her stalking victimization for about a year through the Blue House's public petition board, urging the enactment of a 'Stalker Punishment Act.'

In April, she wrote a post titled "A single woman in her thirties in Korea who fears a vicious stalker," stating, "I think stalking repeatedly occurs because the current stalker punishment law is too mild and weak," and "Stalking victims suffer from mental trauma, anxiety, harm to those around them, and severe depression."

She continued, "I hope the National Assembly treats the stalker punishment law as a serious crime that victims can empathize with," and emphasized, "If at least detention investigations are not conducted, we will live through hellish days."

In other countries, stalking is classified as a separate crime and perpetrators are severely punished. The United States started with the enactment of the 'Anti-Stalking Law' in California in 1990, and all 50 states have laws prohibiting stalking. Those who commit stalking can be sentenced to up to 4 years in prison.

The United Kingdom enacted and has enforced the 'Protection from Harassment Act' since 1997, and Germany established the 'Law on the Punishment of Persistent Pursuit' in 2007, punishing acts such as approaching without consent or repeatedly contacting the other party. Especially if the victim dies, it is punished as an aggravated offense.

Experts urge understanding the seriousness of stalking crimes and enacting laws to prevent them.

Professor Lee Su-jeong of Kyonggi University, a criminal psychology expert, appeared on MBC's 'Shim Inbo's Focus' and said, "Since Korea does not have an Anti-Stalking Act, the only way to protect victims is to impose fines," adding, "If the perpetrator tries again or retaliates, the question is who will stop them next. In foreign countries, stalking is a serious crime. In Anglo-American law countries, imprisonment can be imposed if the crime is presumed to be a sexual crime causing extreme fear."

She emphasized, "Acts like stalking must be criminalized so that the police can take action, and the dormant Anti-Stalking Act in the National Assembly must be passed."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.