[Random thoughts] Cyber-stalking

Last month saw the debut of a type of insurance that protects against stalking. This event did not take place in a foreign country but right here in Korea. A local insurance company offered to cover medical fees and provide "consolation money" to clients who are victimized by stalkers. The problem of stalkers was previously thought to be limited to famous entertainers, but now it has become a matter of concern to ordinary citizens. These are the people that the insurance company is seeking to protect.

The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) recently warned that anyone could potentially fall victim to stalkers. In some foreign countries, it is not unusual for public figures to be harassed by stalkers and some have even been murdered or injured by deranged fans.

But stalking now affects ordinary citizens. The BBC showed that some 20 percent of females aged between 16 and 30 had been victimized by stalkers, while 10 percent of men in the same age group had experienced the problem.

Even in Korea, the number of stalking cases has recently been on the increase. In one instance, a man posted descriptions of his private life with a former girlfriend along with her phone number on a public bulletin board. In another case, an e-mail containing obscene materials was sent to a stalking victim.

According to a survey by the Korean Institute of Criminology, which spoke to 602 netizens aged between 14 and 39, 27.1 percent of females had been victimized by online sexual harassment, with 4.5 percent of them having been pursued by stalkers.

Beginning with California in 1990, a total of 49 U.S. states have enacted anti-stalking laws. Under the U.S. federal anti-stalking law legislated in 1998, cyber-stalking is included as a crime. Japan also legislated such a bill last year. In our country, the enactment of an ant-stalking law is still under study.

For now, stalking is punished in accordance with the law governing violent acts, but it is expected that cyber-stalking will soon fall under a projected law concerning the promotion of information-communications utilization, which is to go into effect in July. It is hoped that this law will lead to the eventual elimination of cyber-stalking.

Song Dae-Geun, Editorial writer