The National Police Agency has included expenses to beef up measures against the persistent problem of stalking, in its budgetary requests for fiscal 2015. Both the central and local authorities are urged to work together with relevant parties to take further steps to effectively curb and eradicate stalking and protect the victims.

According to the NPA, there were some 21,000 cases of damage caused by stalkers and some 49,000 cases of domestic violence — both record figures — in 2013. There is a large number of cases in which victims who had fled their homes due to domestic violence were being stalked by their former spouses, partners or lovers.

The police have often come under fire for being unable to take sufficient action to prevent stalker attacks even though they had been contacted by the victims for help.