Lee Chan-won, complaining of stalking damage, 'red light' due to misguided fan sentiment

Singer Lee Chan-won complained of stalking damage. Misguided fan sentiment is causing pain to the artist. Stalking punishment laws have recently been strengthened. However, there are doubts about its actual effectiveness. The number of victims exposed to crime is increasing.

Chan-won Lee appeared on JTBC's 'Homebrow Judge', which aired on the 21st. On this day, Lee Chan-won confessed to being a victim of small talk. He said, "It happened at a department store. My middle-aged mother said she was a fan of mine, so she signed my notebook and took a picture with me. From then on, she followed me to every floor I moved, and later even to the car."

He continued, "The problem is that he followed me all the way down the road. My daughter drove and followed me. I was scared at that time, so I hurriedly passed through the alley and went home. The problem was that there was a department store close to my house, so if I went that way, my house would be exposed." “I turned around and went home,” he said.

It is difficult to accept this as a middle-aged fan's expression of 'mom's heart'. Chan-won Lee felt fear of stalking. In that situation, Lee Chan-won was the victim, and the middle-aged fan was the perpetrator.

These days, stalking crimes have increased. The shadow of crime does not only include celebrities. Many ordinary people are exposed to stalking crimes.

According to data from the National Police Agency, last year (October to December), the number of stalking cases was 5,949 and the number of arrests was 5,487. The number of crimes detected, which was 734 in December 2020, is increasing, exceeding 1,000 in October last year.

The 'Stalking Punishment Act' was strengthened last year. As the ‘Sindang Station Murder Case’ broke out, awareness of the crime increased. However, some point out that there are limits to protecting victims.

The reason is that it is judged to be a ‘crime of impunity against a doctor’. If only an agreement is reached between the victim and the perpetrator, it is difficult to impose punishment. Attorney Lee Eon cited the limitation that "the stalking punishment law is a 'crime of impunity against will' that is not punishable if an agreement is reached," and pointed out that "additional damage may occur in the process of the perpetrator urging the victim to agree to an agreement in order to avoid punishment." did.

Even if an agreement is reached, it does not mean that the victim's life will be protected. There is a possibility that the perpetrator's emotions become more intense after the agreement is reached and a bigger crime occurs. In fact, an amendment bill to delete the 'crime of impunity against the doctor' is currently pending in the National Assembly.

Celebrities especially do not have a space that can be called a safe zone. As it is exposed to the public, there is no guarantee that it will be safe from crime. In the past, celebrities were not protected from privacy due to the public's 'right to know'. The situation is no different now. Many celebrities are suffering from the misguided actions of fans with wrong perceptions.

Anyone can become a victim of a stalking crime. An act that causes discomfort and fear to the other person cannot be expressed as ‘love.’ There is a need for an interpretation by the legal community that listens to the victim's perspective rather than the perpetrator's perspective.

Reporter Junho Yoon, Ten Asia delo410@tenasia.co.kr