"I Can See the Location of Electronic Anklet Wearers Myself"... Ministry of Justice Demonstrates Real-Time Perpetrator Location Notification

Precise Tracking Down to Individual Apartment Buildings
Three-Stage Response Activated When Perpetrator Approaches

# 'Wee-ing, Wee-ing, Wee-ing.' At around 2 p.m. on the 27th, at the Location Tracking Central Monitoring Center in Dongdaemun-gu, Seoul, the alarm went off at the center as a perpetrator wearing an electronic anklet entered the victim's designated safety zone, and the perpetrator's real-time approach location was displayed. On the app map, the perpetrator's location was shown with such precision that it could identify not only the apartment building but even if the person was in front of a specific store. Information on nearby police stations and substations, as well as other shelters, was also provided with blue icons. Within just three minutes of the situation, the monitoring center initiated the first response by calling the perpetrator. When the call was not connected, staff immediately checked nearby CCTV footage to determine whether the perpetrator was simply passing through or exhibited intent to cause harm, such as carrying a weapon. Next, a monitoring staff member called the victim to reassure them, saying, "The perpetrator is approaching, but you are currently in a safe area. Please check the perpetrator's location via the mobile app, and contact us again if you move." The entire situation, including on-site response and the swift dispatch of the probation office's rapid investigation team to secure the perpetrator, was resolved within just 10 minutes.

Control staff are monitoring the movements of electronic bracelet subjects at the Central Tracking Control Center located in Dongdaemun-gu, Seoul, around 3 p.m. on the 27th. Photo by Taewon Choi

The Ministry of Justice demonstrated this scenario at a briefing session on the 'Stalking Perpetrator Location Notification' service, which is set to be implemented on June 24. The core of the new system is to allow victims to check the real-time location of perpetrators approaching them. Under the current system, victims are only notified that a perpetrator has come near, but lack both the legal basis and technical means to know the precise location, which created limitations in taking action.

In addition to the stalking perpetrator location notification, the current stalking victim protection service provides various protective features through the app. First, if a perpetrator enters within a straight-line distance of 2 km from the victim under 24-hour surveillance, the monitoring center begins intensive monitoring. On the app screen, the perpetrator's location is displayed with high precision, down to the specific apartment building or in front of a particular store, and information about nearby police stations, substations, and public agencies that can serve as shelters is shown with blue icons.

The system is also able to track the perpetrator's movement speed. Monitoring staff analyze whether the perpetrator is using a vehicle if their speed exceeds 8-9 km/h, and respond accordingly. The response process is divided into three steps. In step 1, staff contact the perpetrator to determine their intent and issue a warning. If the perpetrator does not respond, step 2 involves checking nationwide CCTV footage to visually confirm any risk factors, such as possession of a weapon. In the final step, step 3, the probation office's rapid investigation team and the crime prevention team are dispatched immediately to the scene to detain the perpetrator before a crime can occur.

There are two monitoring centers nationwide, operating 24 hours a day. The centers handle an average of about 13,000 alarms per day, including cases of simple movement. Of these, about 7,000 to 8,000 cases per month are officially transferred to the probation office due to heightened concerns of condition violations. The electronic monitoring system, which began in 2008 for sex offenders, has reduced the recidivism rate from 14.1% to 0.7%. It currently covers a broader range of crimes, including abduction of minors, murder, robbery, and stalking. According to the Ministry of Justice, as of this day, there are 534 victims making use of the victim protection service.

Minister of Justice Jeong Seong-ho said, "We are continuously working to create a society where people can feel safe by expanding one-on-one electronic monitoring and introducing the perpetrator location notification service," adding, "We will continue to do our best to establish a crime prevention and victim protection system in the future."

Meanwhile, the victim's location information is used only in a limited manner, solely for measuring the distance from the perpetrator and guiding victims to nearby shelters. Once the protection period ends, all related information is immediately deleted in its entirety.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.