South Korea has launched a new app designed to allow stalking survivors to track the real-time location of perpetrators who are wearing electronic ankle tags. Since late June, around 400 people have been enrolled in the scheme.
The app displays a perpetrator's movement on a map when they are within a 2km radius of the survivor. Should the distance close to within 1km, an alert is sent to police and probation authorities, who then contact the victim.
This new system replaces a previous method where survivors only received a text message indicating a distance, without location details. Yoon Hyun-bong, director of a control centre in Seoul, stated that seeing the stalker on a map provides a clearer understanding of their direction, aiding in safety measures.
The introduction of the app follows a significant rise in stalking cases in South Korea, with reports tripling to 44,687 in 2025 since a dedicated stalking law was enacted in 2021. Approximately 80% of stalking victims are women.
The app's effectiveness is dependent on a court order for tagging, which is not frequently sought or granted in stalking cases. In 2024 and 2025, police apprehended 29,404 people on stalking charges, but only 427 tagging applications were granted by courts out of 1,187 made.