The Korean National Police Agency and the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family will establish a joint response system to protect victims of relationship crimes and move to provide tailored support such as intensive monitoring and professional psychological counseling.
According to the Korean National Police Agency on the 17th, reports of "relationship crimes," including domestic violence, stalking, and dating violence, totaled about 39,382 last year, a 23.1% surge from the previous year. In particular, stalking reports reached 44,687, up 39.9% from a year earlier.
In response, the Korean National Police Agency said on the 17th it will match 261 police stations nationwide with 189 sites, including domestic violence counseling centers in each city and province and the Women's Emergency Call 1366, starting on the 18th, to build a mutual cooperation system with the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family.
The management pool covers a total of 49,906 victims of relationship crimes monitored by police.
First, for 21,423 "A-grade" victims in the high-risk group for whom temporary or provisional measures have been decided, police will conduct intensive monitoring focused on securing safety and preventing recurrence.
For victims with relatively lower risk (B grade), domestic violence counseling centers and the Women's Emergency Call 1366 will be in charge of monitoring. The aim is to detect potential risks through professional psychological counseling and focus on stabilizing and treating the victims' mental health.
If a counseling agency detects additional risks during monitoring, it will immediately notify the police. Police will promptly examine the details of the victimization and the risk of recurrence and support protection and safety measures.
Beyond violence-related harm, victims facing a "compound crisis" due to psychological, medical, or economic difficulties will receive support through the "Integrated Support Council for Crime Victims."
The council will be led by front-line police stations, with counseling centers, local governments, medical institutions, and legal experts participating.
Police have conducted follow-up monitoring since 2016 based on each victim's risk level. However, the nature of relationship crimes has recently grown more complex, and there have been cases where victims declined police involvement. Police said that responding alone had limits in providing multifaceted protection and support tailored to victims' circumstances.
Acting Commissioner Yoo Jae-seong of the Korean National Police Agency said, "Now that the joint response system is in place, we expect dense protection and support for victims based on each institution's expertise."
Minister Won Min-kyong of the gender equality ministry also emphasized, "We will communicate and cooperate closely with each institution so that the joint response system functions properly and produces tangible results."