After the 'Sindang Station Murder Case,' Will the Political Sphere Propose Alternatives?... Ruling and Opposition Parties "Currently Pushing Legislation"

Promise to Abolish Quasi-Private Prosecution and Private Prosecution
Reviewing Party Consensus and Legislative Feasibility
Criticism That It Remains Merely a Slogan of 'Pretend Politics'

At an urgent press conference held on the 19th in front of Exit 10 of Sindang Station, Jung-gu, Seoul, youth and students demanded stronger punishment for stalking crimes and enhanced protection for victims in response to the murder of a female worker due to stalking. Photo by Kim Hyun-min kimhyun81@

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Jun-yi] This year marks six years since the 'Gangnam Station Murder Case,' yet another incident occurred where a female subway worker was killed in the women's restroom at Sindang Station on Seoul Subway Line 2. The ongoing threats of sexual crimes against women, such as stalking and illegal filming, have come to light again, raising social interest in preventing such crimes. However, there are concerns that the political response may remain at a superficial level.

Since the stalking murder incident at Sindang Station on the 14th, controversies have continued surrounding the responses before and after the incident by Seoul Metro, the police, prosecutors, and the National Assembly. In response to such criticism, the National Assembly has begun preparing legislation to prevent recurrence. The ruling party, the People Power Party, is reportedly considering whether to adopt as party policy a legal amendment to abolish the provision on crimes that require the victim's complaint for prosecution. Earlier, on the 18th, Representative Song Seok-jun of the People Power Party proposed the 'Stalking Crime Punishment Act Amendment,' which removes the provision requiring the victim's complaint for stalking crimes and allows tracking the stalker's location in urgent cases to prevent stalking crimes.

The Democratic Party is also reviewing bills to abolish the provision requiring the victim's complaint and to protect stalking victims. On the same day, Democratic Party spokesperson Park Sung-jun stated in a briefing, "Although late, the Democratic Party will now undertake fundamental institutional reforms, including abolishing the provision requiring the victim's complaint, to prevent structural sexual violence." Furthermore, on the 19th, Chief Spokesperson Ahn Ho-young conveyed in a written briefing that "Democratic Party leader Lee Jae-myung has instructed the party to promptly and strictly discipline Seoul City Council member Lee Sang-hoon, who caused secondary harm to victims with offensive remarks, and to promote the establishment of institutional measures such as enacting related laws to prevent crimes like the Sindang Station incident from recurring."

[Image source=Yonhap News]

The Justice Party also pledged to establish measures against stalking crimes at its parliamentary meeting on the 21st. Floor leader Lee Eun-joo said, "Post-event measures hastily announced only when incidents occur can no longer prevent tragedies. The Justice Party promises to abolish the stalking crime complaint requirement, strengthen the Stalking Punishment Act to protect victims and ensure personal safety, and establish fundamental measures for workplace harassment, health management, and industrial safety."

However, criticism continues regarding the political response, which tends to remain at the level of slogans whenever incidents occur. Justice Party lawmaker Jang Hye-young pointed out at the parliamentary meeting, "Laws and systems alone are insufficient. As long as politics that deny discrimination and violence against women continue, we cannot prevent someone else from becoming a victim."

Former Democratic Party co-chair Park Ji-hyun also criticized in an interview with this publication on the 20th, "Our politics is just pretending to act. Only when problems arise, only when people die, do they move a little. Female lawmakers raise their voices about the Sindang Station incident, but almost no male lawmakers speak out. This incident is not a gender issue but a very serious social problem in our society, yet there is a perception that it is a 'women's (only) issue,' so they do not try to raise their voices or even make efforts. Seeing such attitudes, it feels like we are very far behind."

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