By Kim Se-jeong



The government is preparing a new law to toughen punishment for stalkers, it said Thursday.



Stalkers may be sentenced up to two years in prison or fined up to 20 million won, while, stalkers are currently fined only 80,000 won for minor offenses.



It is part of the government's plan to fight against sexual, domestic and school violence.



Stalking has resulted in serious and tragic incidents, even death, so for stalking to be a minor offense does little to protect the victims.



In a case in Gimhae, South Gyeongsang Province, last week, a 29-year-old woman killed a man in her home who stalked her and turned herself in, triggering a debate on self-defense.



In July last year, a 49-year-old housewife was murdered by her stalker outside her home in Daegu on her way to work in the morning. Later, police found that she had asked police to protect her against the stalker several times ― but to no avail.



Women's rights groups have welcomed the move.



"We welcome the government's decision. Stalking is a serious issue but has not drawn attention from policymakers and the government," said Lee Mi-kyeong, chairperson of Korea Sexual Crime Relief Center.



She said out of the 1,308 people who sought help from the center last year, 58, or 4.4 percent of the total, were victims of stalking. The ratio increased by 1 percentage point from the previous year.



Lee said stalking should be taken seriously because it often results in injury or even a death.



The National Assembly has been attempting to establish a law to deal with stalking, but to no avail. Since 2012, four bills have been proposed, but all are still pending.



Regarding other types of sexual violence prevention, the government vowed to bolster therapy programs for sex offenders, especially those who take photos of others' bodies with hidden cameras. The number of offenses involving hidden cameras rose from 6,623 in 2014 to 7,623 in 2015, according to the government.



It also said it would strengthen the monitoring of chatting rooms on smartphones and on the Internet.



To prevent domestic violence, the government said it would announce comprehensive preventive measures in February. The measures will focus on preventing child abuse, it said.



To address school violence, the government vowed to come up with a manual to protect vulnerable children, as well as to protect teachers from being bullied or beaten by students or parents.



