Statistics Korea Establishes Crime Classification... "Reflecting International Standards"

On the 24th, Statistics Korea announced the completion of the establishment of the general classification of the Korean Crime Classification reflecting the International Classification of Crime for Statistical Purposes (ICCS).

The Korean Crime Classification is a Korean-style crime classification system developed for statistical purposes, based on international standards while considering the characteristics of the domestic criminal justice system. This establishment comes nine years after the United Nations Statistical Commission adopted the ICCS as an international standard in 2015.

Statistics Korea explained, "The Korean Crime Classification is significant in that it presents a unified standard for compiling domestic crime statistics by reclassifying domestic crime names according to criminal acts."

Future domestic crime statistics based on the new standards are expected to have a higher level of usability and reliability, actively supporting not only the preparation of international crime statistics submitted annually to the UN but also the development of crime prevention policies.

Lee Hyung-il, Commissioner of Statistics Korea, emphasized, “To smoothly support domestic and international crime response, more comparable and reliable crime statistics and classification standards are necessary. The Korean Crime Classification will support the advancement of domestic crime statistics, contribute to creating a safe society free from crime, and become a best practice in the international community.”

The Korean Crime Classification consists of a five-level act-centered classification system (ICCS has four levels), including 11 major categories, 63 middle categories, 172 subcategories, 240 detailed categories, and 818 fine categories. It is established as a general classification and does not impose compliance obligations under the Statistics Act.

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