Relationship-based crimes must be treated as a public safety issue, not a private dispute
The Act on Punishment of Stalking Crimes has now been in force for five years. Enacted in the wake of the 2021 triple murder in Nowon, the law has done little to stem the tide: harrowing stalking cases continue to fill the news.
Stalking is one form of what are broadly called relationship-based crimes — violence and criminal acts committed within intimate relationships, including between romantic partners, spouses and family members. Dating violence and domestic violence are the most common examples.
Because perpetrators are familiar with victims' daily routines and home addresses, the threat can persist even after a relationship ends. The very intimacy of the bond makes it hard to break free, and victims often face greater danger during the process of ending the relationship itself. It is time to stop treating relationship-based crimes as private disputes and to recognize them as a public safety problem that society must address together.
These crimes rarely take a single form. Stalking frequently escalates into threats, assault, home invasion and other offenses.
Data from the Seoul One-Stop Support Center for Stalking Victims illustrates the scope of the problem. Of the more than 1,300 people who used the center from its opening in 2023 through 2026, 69.1 percent were harmed by a current or former intimate partner. The range of offenses recorded was wide: 417 cases of threats, insults or extortion; 255 cases of assault; and 177 cases of dating violence, among others. The figures make clear that viewing each incident in isolation makes it impossible to fully understand what victims are living through.
The deeper problem is how difficult it is to escape the violence. Surveillance and threats can continue long after a breakup, and some victims — fearing retaliation — are reluctant to seek help or to push for the perpetrator's punishment.
That reluctance does not mean no harm was done. It reflects a complicated mix of emotions: a desire not to destroy the relationship entirely, and a pervasive sense of anxiety. Punishment alone cannot resolve these situations. What is needed is a sustained protection system that respects victims' wishes while connecting them to counseling, legal aid, medical care and residential support.
To meet that public need, the center operates in close coordination with police. While police handle the investigation and protective measures, the center focuses on helping victims rebuild their daily lives — providing psychological counseling, medical and legal support, and relocation assistance to help them find safe housing.
Particularly high-risk victims receive dedicated, ongoing case management. From the center's opening in 2023 through September 2026, more than 1,300 people used its services, with total support cases reaching more than 14,000. The center's support caseload in 2026 rose approximately 99.2 percent compared with the same period the previous year — a figure that underscores how great the demand still is and how urgently sustained, systematic public support is needed.
Relationship-based crimes must never be minimized, and the need for protection must not disappear simply because a victim does not wish to pursue punishment. What is urgently needed is public support that respects victims' choices without abandoning their safety — support that goes beyond closing a case and takes responsibility for restoring a person's everyday life.
The center will continue working to close the gaps in protection, so that it can stand as a reliable safety net at victims' side. Only when victims are freed from fear and reclaim their daily lives will public safety truly move one step closer.
7toy7@heraldcorp.com
