South Korean lawmaker proposes new law to monitor intimate partner violence perpetrators

South Korean lawmaker Lee Ju-hee of the Democratic Party, alongside several women's and civic organizations, is pushing for the enactment of the ‘Intimate Partner Violence Punishment and Prevention Act.’ The initiative follows a series of fatal incidents where victims were killed despite having previously requested police protection or being under existing restraining orders.

The proposed legislation seeks to shift the focus of the legal response from merely protecting victims to actively monitoring and controlling perpetrators. Key provisions include allowing police to directly request temporary measures from courts, implementing electronic monitoring and device attachment for offenders, and expanding the scope of restraining orders to include the victim's family and cohabitants.

Furthermore, the bill aims to redefine the scope of violence to include ‘coercive control,’ such as isolation, surveillance, and economic manipulation. It also proposes removing the ‘offense punishable against the victim's will’ clause, ensuring that investigations can continue even if a suspect dies, and expanding legal protections to include threats made against pets.