Justice minister vows action after stalker sends threatening letter from prison

Justice Minister Jeong Seong-ho said Tuesday he would pursue measures ranging from administrative action to legislative reform to protect stalking victims from further harm after a convicted stalker sent a threatening letter to his victim from prison.

Jeong shared a news article about the case on his social media account Tuesday afternoon, saying he would "actively work to establish measures — from administrative action to amendments to the law — to protect victims from secondary harm."

He said that in recently publicized cases, perpetrators had been designated for mail screening to prevent further harm, but acknowledged that such responses were case-by-case and fell short of a fundamental solution. "Stalking is a crime with a high risk of reoffending," Jeong said. "Unless victims and perpetrators are completely separated from the outset, there is a serious risk that punishment will be followed by further retaliation."

He added that the same applied to domestic violence and sex crimes, and called on the National Assembly to cooperate as the ministry moves to develop broader victim protection measures.

The case came to light after a stalking victim recently posted on social media a letter she had received from her attacker while he was behind bars.

According to the victim, identified as A, the perpetrator — identified as B, who is serving a one-year prison sentence on stalking charges — sent her a letter enclosing what appeared to be a hand-drawn picture. On the back of the letter were the words: "A gift. See you soon — I'm coming to find you." Inside the envelope was another message: "Saying sorry is something you do when there's nothing you can do."

"The stalker knows the locations of my parents' store and my sibling's store, so not just my safety but my family's safety is also under threat," A said. "Since receiving that letter, I can't sleep and I'm in severe mental distress."