South Korea Plans Live Stalking Maps for Victims and Faster Police Response

A nearby stalker could appear as a moving pin

South Korea is developing a smartphone app that will let stalking victims see the precise location of an electronically monitored offender when that person comes nearby. The Ministry of Justice confirmed the project after the National Assembly approved changes to the Act on Electronic Monitoring, giving authorities a legal basis to share more detailed location information with people at risk.

The change addresses a practical weakness in existing alerts. A message telling someone that a stalker is close can warn of danger without showing which direction the person is approaching from. A moving pin on a map would give the victim information to choose a different route, find a staffed place or call for help.

Authorities already use wearable electronic devices to track certain offenders. The proposed app would make relevant location information visible to eligible victims under rules that control when the display switches on. It would not provide continuous access to the movements of every person accused of stalking.

The ministry also plans to connect its monitoring platform to South Korea's 112 police hotline. A case officer would then be able to see the victim and the offender on the same screen and send nearby patrols to a specific location.

As of December 5, 2025, the ministry was developing the app and updating the systems behind it. Officials expected initial integration with 112 to begin the following year, in 2026. Planning documents also suggested that some functions could take longer to complete, potentially into 2026, depending on testing and training. No firm nationwide launch date was given.

How the map would help someone choose a route

Under current practice, a victim may receive a text message saying that an offender is nearby, but without an exact position or direction. The new app would show the offender within a defined radius and update the map in real time as the person walks or drives.

A victim at a station, for example, could use that information to leave through a different exit. Someone unsure whether it is safe to move could instead wait in a staffed area until police arrive. The purpose is to make a warning useful for an immediate decision, rather than leave the person guessing where the threat is.

The position would come from an electronic monitoring device that a court or corrections authority has ordered the offender to wear. The device sends information to a secure monitoring center. That center would share the relevant location with the victim when the system's proximity rules are triggered.

A proximity rule is a distance limit used to detect when someone has come too close. In this system, the map would activate when the offender moves within a set buffer around the victim or enters an exclusion zone defined by a restraining order. An exclusion zone is an area the person has been ordered to stay out of.

The display would therefore be tied to a safety event. Victims would not be able to follow an offender's location at all times, and the exact limits would depend on the rules applying to the case.

Who would qualify for electronic monitoring

The app would cover offenders already subject to a court order or administrative order requiring an electronic monitoring device. A stalking accusation alone would not put a person's movements on a victim's map.

In practice, the people covered include those convicted of violent stalking and, in some cases, repeat offenders who present a clear risk while on parole or supervised release. Parole and supervised release allow a person to live outside prison under conditions and official supervision. The precise criteria for monitoring are set through the law and court decisions.

South Korea has long used electronic anklets and other wearable devices to monitor offenders assessed as posing a high risk. The Act on Electronic Monitoring sets the rules for who can be required to wear a device and when that requirement applies.

The latest revision adds permission to share specific location information with victims when proximity alerts are triggered. The app builds on that existing monitoring system: authorities would continue to collect the location data, while the person facing the threat would gain access at the moments defined by the safety rules.

The legal changes behind the project

South Korea's dedicated law against stalking took effect in 2021. It carries a prison term of up to three years and a fine of up to 30 million won for offenders. Lawmakers made further changes in 2023, simplifying the threshold for arrest and prosecution so police and prosecutors could act more easily on credible reports.

Justice ministry data show about 7,600 stalking reports in 2022 and more than 13,000 in 2024, the year described as last year in the December 2025 account. That is an increase of more than 5,400 reports, or roughly 71 percent using 13,000 as the comparison figure. Officials attributed the rise to greater willingness to report stalking and stronger enforcement.

The legal and policy developments have unfolded over several years:

• 2021: South Korea's dedicated law against stalking took effect, with prison terms of up to three years and fines of up to 30 million won.
• 2022: The justice ministry recorded about 7,600 stalking reports. A woman was killed at a Seoul subway station by a former colleague who had stalked her for years.
• 2023: Lawmakers simplified the threshold for arrest and prosecution in stalking cases.
• 2024: Stalking reports exceeded 13,000, according to justice ministry data.
• By December 5, 2025: The ministry confirmed the live location project following approval of changes to the Act on Electronic Monitoring.
• 2026: Officials expected initial integration with the 112 hotline to begin, with completion of some functions dependent on testing and training.

The new location sharing power is aimed at the period when a threat is developing. It gives victims more information while police and monitoring officials continue their work, alongside the laws used to arrest, prosecute and supervise offenders.

Why the Seoul subway killing remains central

The 2022 killing at a Seoul subway station brought national grief and anger. The woman had filed repeated complaints about a former colleague who had stalked her for years, yet he was not detained before the attack because he had been assessed as posing a low risk.

That case, along with other violent crimes involving stalking and harassment, accelerated debate about prevention and victim protection. The concern was how authorities could respond before a threat turned into an attack, especially when the victim had already sought help.

Advocates have also pointed to a wider pattern of abuse based on gender. Crimes involving hidden cameras, online harassment and threats against women active in public life have increased pressure on authorities to act faster.

The live map proposal fits that demand for protection in the moment. Its intended value is to help a victim make a safer choice while danger is nearby, alongside the criminal penalties that can follow an offense.

What a connection to 112 could change

The ministry is building a link between the electronic monitoring platform and the national emergency number, 112. Once fully connected, the system would let a case officer see both people's positions and direct nearby patrols to the location where help is needed.

For officers, that could replace a search across a large area with a response focused on a particular street or train car where the person of concern is moving. A dispatcher viewing both positions could guide the victim toward a safe place while coordinating officers to intercept the offender.

An emergency button would also have a role in recording what happened. When a victim presses it, the connected system could create a unified record of proximity, response times and officer actions. Those records could support further charges if the offender violated a restraining order.

The intended benefit depends on people as well as software. Dispatchers would need procedures for different settings, including subway stations, apartment complexes and schools. Officers would need clear rules for separating the parties, documenting violations and protecting evidence while limiting disruption to bystanders.

Police and prosecutor training would therefore influence how well the system works. A precise map can guide a response, but staff still have to assess the alert and take action.

Privacy safeguards and the risk of misuse

Sharing a person's precise location with a private citizen creates privacy and safety concerns. Officials need to prevent the app from encouraging confrontation, allowing an offender's location to be widely shared on social media or exposing the victim's own position to the wrong person.

Security measures for a system of this kind usually include identity checks before enrollment, strict logs showing who accessed information, encrypted transmission and automatic timeouts. Encryption protects information while it is being sent; access logs help officials check whether someone viewed data they were entitled to see.

Rules governing how long information is kept could reduce risk by deleting precise location records once a case officer closes an incident. Clear penalties for misuse could also discourage unauthorized sharing. These are safeguards described for a system like this, while the app itself remains under development.

Electronic monitoring over long periods also brings a debate about civil liberties. Courts must balance efforts to prevent harm with the rights of people who have served their sentences. Narrow conditions for activating the map, judicial oversight and regular review can keep the program focused on victim safety rather than broad surveillance.

The planned limits on location access are central to that balance. The victim would receive information when a distance rule or exclusion zone is breached, rather than have unrestricted access to an offender's movements.

How other countries use similar technology

Spain has used paired electronic bracelets that alert a victim when an offender breaches a distance limit. France has expanded similar bracelets for cases involving domestic abuse. Both approaches use electronic monitoring to warn when physical separation is being broken.

The United Kingdom can impose electronic tags on offenders assessed as posing a high risk. Police also issue Stalking Protection Orders that restrict contact and movement. In parts of the United States, judges order GPS monitoring for some defendants in domestic violence cases while proceedings are pending. GPS is a system used to determine a device's location.

South Korea's planned approach goes further by giving victims a map showing direction and movement, paired with live coordination with police. A warning would tell the victim more than whether the offender had crossed a distance limit.

Supporters argue that this level of awareness can turn minutes into seconds when a victim needs to make a decision. Critics warn that visibility needs to be accompanied by strong training, clear rules for responding to alerts and audits to prevent abuse.

What the technology can help with

The app may deter some offenders who know their movements are being monitored and that police can reach them quickly. For victims, the immediate benefit would be information that helps them stay in a crowded place, change route or avoid moving toward the offender.

Electronic records could also support prosecutions by documenting violations of distance limits. Together with the planned emergency response record, that information could help authorities reconstruct an incident and record whether a restraining order was breached.

Offenders may still try to disable a monitoring device, use a phone to locate a victim or contact the victim through other people. Those risks require responses beyond a map alert.

Location accuracy can also be affected by signal gaps in tunnels, underground spaces and dense urban areas where buildings obstruct signals. These problems matter in settings such as subway systems, where a victim may need to decide quickly which way to move.

The app is intended to be part of a wider protection strategy that includes restraining orders, fast arrests for violations, safe housing and support services. Electronic monitoring gives authorities and victims another tool, while those other measures address risks the map cannot handle by itself.

Testing, enrollment and the remaining work

The Ministry of Justice is developing the app for victims while updating the systems that receive and monitor information from electronic devices. A pilot in selected regions is likely before a nationwide launch, followed by adjustments for software bugs, false alerts and officer workload.

Public outreach would be needed so eligible victims know how to enroll and understand the app's capabilities and limits. Access depends on an offender being subject to electronic monitoring, so enrollment would be tied to the circumstances and orders in an individual case.

Testing would also need to connect the technical systems with police routines. An alert, a moving location marker and an emergency call have to reach the people responsible for dispatching help, while officers need procedures that work in the setting they encounter.

The planned start of 112 integration in 2026 is the next stated step. Testing, training and changes after any regional pilot would shape how the ministry moves toward wider use.

Key Points

• South Korea is developing a smartphone app that would show a monitored stalker's live location when proximity rules are triggered.
• The National Assembly approved changes to the Act on Electronic Monitoring allowing precise location information to be shared with victims.
• Access would be limited to cases involving offenders ordered to wear electronic monitoring devices.
• The Ministry of Justice plans to connect the system to the 112 police hotline, with initial integration expected in 2026.
• Justice ministry figures show about 7,600 stalking reports in 2022 and more than 13,000 in 2024.
• The 2022 killing of a woman at a Seoul subway station helped accelerate debate about prevention and victim protection.
• Privacy controls, testing and staff training would be central to the system's operation.
• The app would work alongside restraining orders, arrests for violations, safe housing and support services.