Ruling Party Committee: More Than 100 Individual Bills on Relationship-Based Crimes Have Limitations; Comprehensive Legal and Institutional Reform Urgently Needed

[Financial News] The Democratic Party of Korea’s Special Committee on Countermeasures Against Relationship-Based Crimes said on the 11th that it would move beyond piecemeal measures and pursue comprehensive, more thorough legal and institutional reforms to eradicate relationship-based crimes such as dating violence, domestic violence and stalking.
At a meeting held at the National Assembly that day, committee co-chair Song Ok-joo said, “Society as a whole must recognize that violence in the home or in intimate relationships is also an unequivocal crime,” stressing the need for efforts to raise awareness, including government- and party-led campaigns to highlight the severity of violence.
In particular, Chair Song pointed out that “more than 100 bills related to relationship-based crimes have been compiled, but many remain piecemeal,” adding, “We need more fundamental measures and thorough legal and institutional reforms to ensure there are no gaps in victim protection.”
The meeting featured in-depth discussions on specific ways to strengthen victim protection and support. Key policy issues included △measures to protect victims and monitor perpetrators using smartwatches and electronic ankle monitors △preventing the exposure of victims’ personal information during judicial proceedings △improving the management of statistics on relationship-based crimes.
The meeting was attended by committee members, including co-chairs Song Ok-joo and Seo Ji-hyun and secretary Lee Su-jin. Government officials included Kim Seong-cheol, Director for Safety and Human Rights Policy at the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family; Choi Hyeong-gyu, Director of the Criminal Law Legislation Division at the Ministry of Justice; and Han Dong-hee, Director of the Social Policy Coordination Division at the Office for Government Policy Coordination. Representatives of numerous women’s organizations, including Korea Women's Hot-Line, the Korea Sexual Violence Relief Center and Korean Women's Associations United (KWAU), also attended and shared conditions and views from the field.
The committee plans to carefully review the matters discussed that day, along with related bills and other measures to improve the system, and officially announce a comprehensive set of measures at a press conference next week.  

[email protected] Park Ji-hyun Reporter