SEOUL, South Korea — South Korea is developing a new mobile app that will allow stalking victims to see the real time location of their perpetrators, a move authorities said is intended to strengthen protections as reported stalking cases continue to rise.
The justice ministry announced Wednesday that the app is part of a wider amendment to the nation’s electronic monitoring law and is expected to be integrated with emergency response systems next year.
The focus keyword “South Korea developing app that shows real time location of stalkers” is central to government efforts to reduce repeat offenses and improve victim safety.
Stalking has become a growing public concern in South Korea after a series of high profile attacks on women who had previously reported their stalkers to police.
Under the current system, victims receive text alerts when an offender wearing a government issued electronic monitoring device enters a preset radius. The notifications, however, do not reveal the stalker’s exact location or direction.
“This limitation makes it difficult for victims to make immediate safety decisions,” the justice ministry said in a statement. The new app will allow users to view a moving map that displays real time distance and direction if the perpetrator is nearby.
The initiative follows public outrage over a 2022 incident in which a woman was murdered by a former colleague who had stalked her for years. Despite multiple complaints, police classified the suspect as “low risk,” allowing him to remain free prior to the attack.
Experts said the new tool reflects a shift toward more proactive monitoring.
“Providing real time information empowers victims and reduces reaction time in dangerous encounters,” said Lee Ji-won, a criminology professor at Korea University.
“This is a significant step, but it must be paired with stronger enforcement and immediate intervention.” Some specialists cautioned that the new app will require strong privacy protections and oversight to prevent misuse.
“Any system that tracks individuals in real time must be carefully regulated,” said Kim Do-hyun, a cybersecurity analyst in Seoul. “The public should be assured that monitoring remains strictly limited to court authorized cases.”
The project aligns with revisions to South Korea’s anti stalking law, introduced in 2021 and strengthened in 2023, which lowered the threshold for prosecution and increased penalties for repeat offenses.
Reports of stalking surged nationwide after legal reforms took effect. According to justice ministry data, police logged more than thirteen thousand stalking reports last year, up from seven thousand six hundred in 2022.
South Korea’s approach is similar to steps taken in Japan and parts of Europe, where GPS-linked monitoring is used in severe domestic violence or harassment cases.
But few countries provide real time location visibility directly to victims, making the South Korea developing app that shows real time location of stalkers initiative one of the region’s more aggressive measures.
The ministry said the system will be integrated with the national emergency hotline system, enabling dispatch centers to track both victim and perpetrator locations simultaneously. Officials expect full integration by next year.
Residents expressed cautious optimism about the new program. “I was receiving anonymous messages for months, and even after reporting it, I didn’t feel safe,” said a 27 year old office worker in Seoul who asked to be identified as Hyejin for privacy reasons.
“If I could see exactly where someone dangerous was, it would help me plan my movements.” Advocacy organizations working with abuse survivors also welcomed the update.
“Victims often describe living with constant fear,” said Park Min-seo, director of the Safe Women Network. “A real time app does not solve the root causes of stalking, but it gives survivors back a sense of control.”
But others warned that technology alone cannot fix systemic issues. “Police responses have historically been inconsistent,” said attorney Han Soo-ryeong, who specializes in gender-based violence cases.
“Tools like this will only work if officers act immediately when alerts escalate.” Authorities plan further upgrades, including synchronization with police patrol routes and biometric verification of monitored offenders.
Officials also said they are studying whether data from wearable devices can be analyzed with machine learning tools to predict repeat offense patterns, though no timeline has been announced.
As development continues, the South Korea developing app that shows real time location of stalkers initiative will likely draw debate over personal privacy, law enforcement responsibility and the role of technology in public safety.
South Korea’s new tracking app represents the government’s latest attempt to strengthen protections for stalking victims after years of public pressure.
While experts said the system could meaningfully improve safety, they also emphasized the need for consistent enforcement and continued legal reforms.
As stalking reports continue to rise, officials hope the new tool will help prevent future tragedies while shaping a broader national response to violence against women.
