Police to provide personal bodyguards for high-risk stalking victims

The government is moving to close what critics have long called a legal blind spot in its handling of stalking, dating violence and other relationship-based crimes, pursuing legislation to strengthen punishment of offenders and better protect victims. The plan includes criminalizing the controlling and coercive behavior that typically occurs in abusive relationships, and introducing court-ordered interim protection measures for victims.

The Ministry of Justice, the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family, the Supreme Prosecutors' Office and the Korean National Police Agency announced the measures Monday through an interagency stalking and dating violence response TF. The task force was formed following the murder of a woman in Namyangju, Gyeonggi Province, in March, when a man named Kim Hun — who had been wearing an electronic ankle bracelet — stalked and killed his former girlfriend in an act of revenge. The TF said the plan covers 20 initiatives across four areas: strengthening laws and systems, interagency collaboration and preemptive response, victim support, and raising awareness of relationship-based violence.

The TF said it will pursue legislation to criminalize dating violence and introduce victim protection measures including restraining orders.

"We will pursue legislation to punish controlling and coercive behavior that typically occurs in dating relationships, and to enable interim protection measures such as temporary restraining orders," the TF said.

It also said it would extend the maximum duration of interim measures such as stalking restraining orders, which currently cap out at nine months. The TF noted that multiple amendment bills to the Stalking Punishment Act are pending before the National Assembly's Legislation and Judiciary Committee.

Under current law, the response to stalking crimes proceeds in three stages: emergency measures, urgent emergency measures and interim measures. Emergency measures require a judicial police officer who receives a report of ongoing stalking to go immediately to the scene and intervene. Urgent emergency measures allow a judicial police officer to impose a 100-meter approach ban and a no-contact order upon receiving a report when there is a risk of repeated stalking and the situation is urgent. Interim measures allow a prosecutor to request, or a court to order on its own authority, a restraining order when there is a risk of the stalking crime recurring.

The TF also said that an amendment to the Stalking Punishment Act passed the National Assembly plenary session in March, introducing a "victim protection order" regime that will allow victims to apply directly to a court for a restraining order — a system set to take effect in April next year. Since June 24, two additional measures have been in operation: a system that notifies victims of the real-time movements of offenders fitted with electronic monitoring devices when those offenders approach, and a state-appointed defense counsel support system for victims of specified violent crimes.

The TF plans to strengthen interagency collaboration to build a more proactive response capability. Targeting completion by December, it is also working to link the Ministry of Justice's electronic monitoring system with the Korean National Police Agency's 112 emergency dispatch system, so that officers responding to a call can check the real-time locations of both the offender and the victim when a stalking suspect fitted with an electronic device approaches a victim.

The Ministry of Justice and the Korean National Police Agency said that from Monday, when a no-contact interim or temporary order is issued against an existing electronic monitoring subject — such as a sex offender — in connection with a separate case, victim information and case details will be automatically shared through KICS (Korea Information System of Criminal Justice Services). A joint protection system under which both police and probation officers respond simultaneously when an offender approaches is also now in operation.

Last month, the Ministry of Justice developed a specialized psychological treatment program for stalking offenders under electronic monitoring, designed to identify recidivism risk factors early and enable timely intervention. Prosecutors are actively reviewing whether to seek additional or modified interim measure categories for stalking cases, as well as additional electronic device attachment orders for offenders already wearing a bracelet for a separate offense. Police have introduced a three-tier risk classification system — high, medium and low.

On victim support, the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family and the Korean National Police Agency have established a joint response network linking all 261 police stations nationwide with 189 domestic violence counseling centers. Police will combine intensive victim monitoring with professional psychological counseling. The agencies also agreed to promote the attachment of counseling verification documents when applying for interim measures, to help assess the level of risk.

Most notably, the Korean National Police Agency said it will provide enhanced safety measures for high-risk victims facing a serious threat of retaliatory crime — including close personal protection by two private security guards and smart CCTV systems capable of detecting intrusions and loitering near the victim's residence.

The plan also addresses the need for broader awareness. The Ministry of Gender Equality and Family has developed a high-risk warning guide for dating violence and stalking — dubbed "Red Flag 10" — identifying 10 warning signs: a tendency toward violence, obsessive or coercive control, escalating conflict, threats to life, a prior record of offenses or reports, violations of protection orders, blaming the victim, alcohol or drug use, high anxiety, and social isolation. The ministry will also hold regular seminars on responding to gender-based violence.

"We focused on closing the gaps in law, systems and on-the-ground response exposed by cases such as the Namyangju incident," the TF said. "Going forward, we will swiftly advance the necessary legislation, ensure the field response system operates without disruption, and continuously monitor and refine implementation — so that victims feel genuinely safer."