[Exclusive] One Stalking or Dating Violence Report Every Three Minutes... More Than 100,000 for Five Consecutive Years

[Financial News] Reports of so-called "relationship-based crimes," including stalking and dating violence, surpassed 110,000 in just the first eight months of this year. The number of reports has exceeded 100,000 for five consecutive years since first surpassing 100,000 annually in 2022, and the scale has continued to grow each year. Experts say effective measures are needed to separate and protect victims, as perpetrators and victims may continue to come into contact after a report is filed, potentially leading to further harm.
According to data obtained by Financial News on the 20th from the Korean National Police Agency through the office of Kang Myung-gu, a People Power Party lawmaker on the Security and Public Administration Committee, there were 36,944 and 74,070 112 reports related to stalking and dating violence, respectively, from January through August this year. The combined total reached 111,014.
That amounts to an average of about 457 reports per day, or roughly one every three minutes. With four months still remaining this year, the total had already reached about 74% of last year's annual figure of 150,028 reports.
Reports of relationship-based crimes have risen steadily in recent years. Reports of stalking and dating violence totaled 71,814 in 2021, 100,355 in 2022, 108,974 in 2023, 120,341 in 2024 and 150,028 in 2025. After first surpassing 100,000 in 2022, the figure exceeded 150,000 last year. This year, too, the total surpassed 110,000 by August, marking five consecutive years in the 100,000-plus range.
Stalking reports, in particular, began to rise noticeably this spring. After reaching 5,073 in April, they remained in the 5,000 range for five consecutive months, with 5,045 in May, 5,093 in June, 5,322 in July and 5,305 in August.
Dating violence reports also approached 10,000 each month. They rose from 8,426 in January to 9,526 in April, then surpassed 10,000 in May with 10,442 reports. The subsequent figures were 9,909 in June, 9,609 in July and 9,729 in August. That translates to an average of about 305 reports per day.
Because relationship-based crimes occur between people in intimate relationships, such as current or former partners, perpetrators and victims are more likely to come into contact again after a report is filed. Experts therefore stress the importance of effective separation measures. They say protection must go beyond simply relocating victims and should include restrictions on perpetrators' access to them.
Lee Yoon-ho, a professor in the Department of Police Administration at Dongguk University, explained, "The surest way to prevent relationship-based crimes is to separate the perpetrator and the victim." He added, "Since violence occurs when the perpetrator and victim are in the same place at the same time, preventing them from being together is the best means of prevention and protection."
[email protected] Lee Dong-hyuk Reporter