South Korea has rolled out an app that allows stalking victims to see the live location of their alleged stalker if they begin moving nearby.
Around 400 people are currently enrolled in the government scheme, which launched in late June and uses data from court-ordered electronic ankle monitors.
Victims can open the app and track a tagged suspect’s location and direction of travel once they come within a 2km radius. If that distance falls below 1km, police and probation authorities receive an alert and contact the victim.
The system replaces an older alert method that only sent victims a text stating how far away the suspect was, without showing their location or which direction they were moving.
“Waiting with no idea what’s happening is deeply distressing,” Seoul monitoring center director Yoon Hyun-bong told The Guardian.
“A distance alone doesn’t tell you which direction he’s coming from, but seeing it on a map, you know where to hide.”
Korea launches stalking app amid rise of stalking cases
The app’s effectiveness depends on courts ordering suspects to wear electronic tags, something that remains relatively rare in South Korean stalking cases.
Police arrested 29,404 people on stalking charges across 2024 and 2025. Authorities made 1,187 applications for electronic monitoring during that period, but courts approved only 427.
South Korea’s two electronic monitoring centers handle around 19,000 alerts every day across more than 5,000 monitored people, including those accused or convicted of crimes such as sexual violence and murder. Roughly 300 alerts per day are considered serious enough to be escalated to a probation officer.
The tracking app was introduced amid a sharp rise in reported stalking. Cases have tripled since South Korea enacted a dedicated stalking law in 2021, reaching 44,687 in 2025. Around 80% of victims are women.
Some campaigners have also warned that giving victims access to an alleged stalker’s location could leave them feeling responsible for constantly monitoring their own safety.
“If the authorities did their job properly, who would want to check it themselves?” Korea Women’s Hotline director Sujeong Kim said.
The launch comes as stalking cases involving online personalities continue to draw attention worldwide. In June, a convicted stalker was arrested on suspicion of killing Colombian influencer Natalia Villalba.
Streamers have also faced similar threats. Korean Twitch star Jinnytty was once followed during a live broadcast by a man she said had stalked her for six months, while Amouranth has repeatedly criticized authorities over their response to cyberstalking complaints.
