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🇰🇷 South Korea /Crime & Justice

South Korea's Victim Monitoring System for Abuse Criticized for Ineffectiveness

From Hankyoreh · () Korean

Translated from Korean, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

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  • A new police and government initiative to monitor victims of relationship violence, categorizing them as "high-risk" or "low-risk," is facing criticism for its ineffectiveness.
  • Critics argue that relying solely on victim statements for risk assessment is flawed and places an undue burden on victims, potentially leading to victim-blaming.
  • The initiative's focus on victim monitoring, rather than perpetrator management, is seen as insufficient for preventing repeat offenses.

A joint initiative by South Korean police and the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family to monitor victims of relationship violence, categorizing them into "high-risk" (A-grade) and "low-risk" (B-grade) groups, is drawing criticism for its practical limitations and potential to shift blame onto victims.

The monitoring of victims is based solely on victim statements, which carries the risk of leading to victim-blaming.

— Counselor at a regional counseling centerExpressing concern that the system's reliance on victim testimony for risk assessment could unfairly hold victims responsible if danger is not identified.

The system, launched in May, aims to provide ongoing monitoring of individuals experiencing stalking, dating violence, and domestic abuse. High-risk victims receive direct police monitoring, while low-risk victims are monitored by private counseling centers. However, the effectiveness of this approach is being questioned, particularly after a case where a victim, initially classified as "low-risk" and subsequently removed from monitoring, suffered severe injuries from her abuser just a week later.

It is questionable whether counseling centers, which focus on victim recovery, can perfectly assess risk levels.

— Counselor at a regional counseling centerDoubting the capacity of counseling centers to accurately gauge the danger posed by perpetrators based on limited victim disclosures.

Concerns are mounting that the criteria for classification, based on factors like the number of police reports, incident frequency over three years, and legal protection orders, may not accurately capture the dynamic nature of abuse. Counselors from local centers express doubts about their ability to accurately assess a perpetrator's risk of re-offending based solely on a victim's statements. They highlight that their primary role is victim support and recovery, not criminal risk assessment, and that pressuring victims to reveal every detail could lead to them being blamed if danger is not detected.

Victims are reluctant to participate, feeling that repeated calls are an invasion of their daily lives rather than state protection.

— Counselor at a Seoul-based counseling centerExplaining the low participation rate in the victim monitoring program due to victims' negative perceptions of the process.

Furthermore, some victims are reluctant to participate in the monitoring program, viewing the repeated contact as an intrusion rather than protection. This reluctance further undermines the program's effectiveness, especially in non-metropolitan areas where counseling centers have yet to connect with any B-grade victims. Legal experts advocate for a stronger focus on managing perpetrators, suggesting that developing practical methods for police to monitor individuals who have not yet received restraining orders should be a priority over classifying and contacting victims.

Providing practical solutions for how the police will manage perpetrators who have not yet received restraining orders should be prioritized over classifying victims and contacting them.

— Seo Hye-jinA lawyer at The Lighthouse Law Firm, advocating for a shift in focus from victim monitoring to perpetrator management.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by Hankyoreh in Korean. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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