Victims to receive real-time stalker location alerts

Victims of stalking will soon be able to access the offender’s real-time location directly. The Ministry of Justice announced on Dec. 3 that an amendment to the Act on the Attachment of Electronic Devices, which includes this provision, passed the National Assembly’s plenary session on Dec. 2. Until now, the government’s “offender proximity information” alert only notified victims of the distance when an offender approached, leaving them unable to determine the direction from which the offender was coming.

Under the revised law, victims will be able to see the offender’s exact location on a map through their smartphones when the offender enters a designated range. The Ministry of Justice said victims will be able to identify both the direction and distance of the offender’s approach and evacuate to a safe location. The ministry added that it plans to develop a mobile application to provide the offender’s location in real time.

The Ministry of Justice also said it is working to link its location-tracking system with the National Police Agency’s 112 system, in line with the electronic monitoring requirement for stalking offenders that took effect in January last year. Currently, the locations of offenders and victims are shared via text message. Once the systems are integrated, responding officers will be able to monitor an offender’s movements in real time while protecting the victim.

"The goal is to complete the system integration next year," the Ministry of Justice said. "The ministry will oversee monitoring and issuing alerts on whether an offender is wearing an electronic device and approaching, while police will handle on-site response and victim protection."


송유근 기자 big@donga.com