South Korea Launches Real-Time Stalker Tracking App

South Korea’s dedicated stalking law, enacted in 2021, has seen reported cases triple, reaching 44,687 in 2025, with roughly 80 % of victims being women. Until now, survivors received only a text stating the perpetrator’s distance, offering no directional information.

The Guardian

Since late June, a new smartphone app lets enrolled survivors view a tagged suspect on a live map once the individual enters a 2 km radius and triggers an automatic police-probation alert at 1 km. Two control centres—in Seoul and Daejeon—process about 19,000 alerts daily for more than 5,000 people under electronic monitoring for offences ranging from sexual violence to murder. Approximately 400 survivors are currently enrolled; staff filter most alerts, but roughly 300 serious alerts each day are forwarded to probation officers, each of whom monitors over 20 individuals. Tagging requires a court order; of the 1,187 applications made in 2024-2025, courts granted 427.

The Guardian

Yoon Hyun-bong, director of the Seoul centre, says the map “shows where to hide,” reducing the distress of waiting blind. Kang Shin-won, head of the justice ministry’s electronic monitoring division, describes the ankle tag as a “minimum safety measure” when removal from society is not feasible.

The Guardian

• “Waiting with no idea what’s happening is deeply distressing,” — Yoon Hyun-bong

The Guardian