‘Long overdue’: South Korea revises law to make it easier to punish stalkers
- The National Assembly abolished a controversial clause stipulating that a stalker cannot be held criminally responsible if the victim does not consent to punishment
- Women’s rights groups say many stalking crimes could have been prevented if the government had strengthened deterrent measures
The bill was passed unanimously on Wednesday by all 246 lawmakers attending the session, which is a rare occurrence in South Korea’s parliament.
Through the revised bill aimed at strengthening punishment for stalking crimes, the Assembly decided to abolish a controversial clause stipulating that a stalker cannot be held criminally responsible if the victim does not consent to punishment.
The initial law legislated in 2021 stipulated that stalkers could be punished only after obtaining the permission of the victim. It attracted strong criticism by civic groups for failing to address the core nature of stalking crimes. Victims of stalking tend to give up seeking punishment against perpetrators due to fears of retaliation. As a result, many perpetrators have avoided criminal punishment after reaching settlements with the victims.
Women’ rights groups said the revision was “long overdue”.
“It’s something that should have been done years ago. We had expressed grave concerns on the matter since the legislation of the initial anti-stalking law and repeatedly called on the government to eliminate the unreasonable clause,” said Song Ran-hee, head of the Korea Women’s Hotline. “It’s hard to welcome their belated move.”
She lamented that many stalking crimes – including the murders of victims – could have been prevented if the government had introduced proper laws and preventive measures in the first place.
