South Korea has rolled out a mobile app that lets stalking victims watch the real-time location and movement of electronically tagged alleged stalkers when they enter a nearby radius, giving survivors a map showing where the person is actually coming from.
The Ministry of Justice launched the system on 24 June 2026 after changing electronic monitoring rules to allow location information to be shared directly with protected victims. When a tagged person moves within 2 km, an eligible victim can see their position and route on a smartphone map. If the person comes within 1 km of a location covered by a court-ordered provisional restriction, police and probation authorities are notified.
The upgrade replaces a system that largely told victims only how far away an offender was without showing their direction. By Friday, 11 September, about 400 people were enrolled in the programme.
Victims Can See Where a Tagged Suspect Is Moving
The app is available in stalking cases where a court has ordered the alleged offender to wear an electronic ankle tag. It does not give everyone who reports stalking access to another person's location. Instead, the map becomes available when an electronically monitored individual enters the designated range.
The Ministry of Justice demonstrated the system in May before its June launch. South Korean actor Yoon Park, known for Forecasting Love and Weather and Doctor Slump and serving as an honorary probation officer, said checking an offender's approach by smartphone could remove some of the 'vague anxiety' victims experience. Officials say the feature is intended to help victims move to safety while authorities respond.
Yoon Hyun-bong, director of Seoul's electronic monitoring control centre, described the problem with the previous system: 'A distance alone doesn't tell you which direction he's coming from.' A live map can show whether a monitored person is closing in, changing direction or moving away. That gives victims information a simple distance alert could not provide.
Stalking Reports Have Risen Sharply
The app arrives as South Korea records a steep increase in stalking reports. National Police Agency data show 44,687 reports in 2025, up from 31,947 in 2024, an increase of nearly 40% in a year. South Korea's dedicated stalking law took effect on 21 October 2021, establishing criminal penalties and formal protection procedures for victims.
Official research also shows the gendered impact of stalking after relationships end. A 2025 government survey found that 29.1% of women who had experienced divorce, separation or the end of cohabitation reported stalking before or after the breakup, compared with 18.9% of men. Among women who experienced stalking, 38.2% reported exposure to six or more overlapping forms of violence.
The app's reach remains limited because it works only when electronic monitoring has been ordered by a court. A stalking report or restraining order alone does not automatically give a victim access to the live map. The programme is therefore an additional protection for a narrower group rather than a tracking system available in every stalking case.
Critics Question Who Carries the Safety Burden
Victim advocates have welcomed access to more information while questioning whether asking survivors to monitor an alleged stalker can create another form of vigilance. Sujeong Kim, director of the women's human rights counselling centre at the Korea Women's Hotline, said: 'If the authorities did their job properly, who would want to check it themselves?' Her concern is that survivors may feel compelled to repeatedly open the app instead of feeling protected by the system around them.
Authorities say electronic tagging is one protective measure and that restrictions are escalated based on the risk of reoffending and the seriousness of each case. The programme does not replace police intervention, court orders or other victim protection measures. What it changes is the warning itself: instead of being told only that an alleged stalker is nearby, an eligible victim can now see where that tagged person is moving in real time.
