South Korea gives stalking survivors real-time access to offenders’ locations

Live locations replace distance-only warnings

South Korea has begun giving some stalking survivors real-time access to the location of electronically tagged suspects, turning a previously abstract warning system into a live safety tool. The programme, operating since late June, activates when a tagged person enters a two-kilometre radius around a participant. Survivors can then see the person’s movement on a map, while police and probation authorities receive an alert when the distance falls below one kilometre.

About 400 people are enrolled in the initial scheme, according to reporting from the Central Electronic Monitoring Centre in Seoul. Previously, a survivor received a text showing only the distance to the monitored person, without direction or location. Officials say the map can help someone decide where to shelter while authorities respond. The system applies only when a court has ordered a suspect or offender to wear an electronic tag.

A response to rising stalking reports

The programme arrives as recorded stalking cases have risen sharply since South Korea enacted a dedicated law in 2021. Police reports reached 44,687 in 2025, roughly three times the level recorded four years earlier, and women account for about four-fifths of victims. Two monitoring centres, in Seoul and Daejeon, already process around 19,000 electronic alerts each day for more than 5,000 monitored people convicted or suspected of offences including sexual violence and murder.

The system’s reach remains narrow. Police detained 29,404 people on stalking allegations during 2024 and 2025, but sought electronic tagging in 1,187 cases; courts approved 427 applications. That gap means the new app cannot help most people who report stalking. Officials say tagging requests are based on the assessed risk of repeat offending, while other separation measures are escalated according to the seriousness of each case.

Protection or a transferred burden?

Victim advocates regard more precise information as potentially useful but question whether constant location access shifts too much responsibility onto survivors. A person already living under threat may feel compelled to monitor the screen continuously and plan an escape, even though public authorities remain responsible for enforcement and intervention. The technology also does not resolve failures to share information between police and probation services, a problem highlighted by a recent killing involving a tagged suspect.

The next test is therefore institutional rather than technical: whether courts use tagging more consistently in high-risk cases, whether police and probation data are integrated, and whether authorities can respond before proximity becomes an attack. South Korea’s own filings in the UN human-rights system describe stalking and digital violence as areas requiring continuing legal and victim-support measures. The app may provide valuable warning time, but its effectiveness will depend on staffing, rapid response and broader prevention.