After the Stalking Punishment Act, related reports in Gwangju surged sixfold compared to the previous year

"Coming to My Home to Harass Me" 127 Cases Reported from April to September

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[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Park Jin-hyung] Since the enactment of the Stalking Punishment Act, reports of related crimes have surged.

According to the Gwangju Police Agency on the 29th, a total of 127 reports were received from April to September since the law was enacted, more than six times the number during the same period last year.

Calculating from the implementation date, from the 21st to the 27th of last week, there were a total of 11 cases, including 112 reports, 8 complaints, and 3 accusations. Currently, the police are investigating the exact circumstances of the incidents based on reports from victims.

According to the reports, a man in his 20s went to the house of his ex-girlfriend in Gwangsan-gu, causing a disturbance and ringing the doorbell, and was stopped by police who arrived at the scene.

Stalking crimes mainly occur between couples or ex-couples and are often accompanied by offenses such as dating violence.

These crimes can cause serious mental and physical trauma to victims, but there have been many criticisms that the level of punishment was low until now.

According to the Minor Offenses Punishment Act, only a fine of up to 100,000 won, detention, or a penalty was possible.

However, with the enforcement of the "Act on the Punishment of Stalking Crimes, etc.," offenders can face imprisonment of up to three years or a fine of up to 30 million won.

When such crimes occur, the police also take emergency measures to immediately separate the perpetrator and the victim.

If there is a high risk of repeated acts, the police can decide on ▲emergency measures ▲temporary measures, including a ban on approaching the victim within 100 meters.

Although the punishment regulations have been strengthened, the number of crimes has rather increased. Why is that?

A representative from Gwangju Women's Hotline said, "Even though the Domestic Violence Punishment Act was amended in January this year to allow perpetrators to be arrested in flagrante delicto, we did not feel a clear crime prevention effect," adding, "The Stalking Punishment Act is the same. Perpetrators need to recognize that it is a serious crime, but publicity is still lacking."

There is another issue. Jang Da-hye, a senior researcher at the Korea Institute of Criminology and Justice, said, "Although punishment has been strengthened, stalking crimes, which mainly occur between couples, are offenses that require the victim's complaint, so if the victim does not want to press charges, punishment cannot be enforced," stating that it is not a fundamental remedy.

She continued, "Frontline police officers have the perception that they should only intervene in repeated stalking crimes, not in stalking acts themselves, so it is doubtful whether the provisions stipulated by the law will actually work in the field," expressing concern.

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