Psychological Profiling for Stalking Offenders

Since the implementation of domestic legislation related to stalking, stalking crimes have continuously increased, with numerous cases escalating to severe instances of murder, thereby raising social awareness about the seriousness of stalking. While research on stalking in South Korea has developed in various forms over the years, most previous studies have focused on limited topics. Although these diverse studies and attention are necessary for the prevention of stalking and effective responses, understanding and researching the psychological characteristics, motivations, and the traits of violence risk, especially those indicating extreme violence like homicide, are critically needed. In contrast to South Korea, countries overseas have already made considerable progress in profiling research that categorizes types of stalking offenders to predict and classify their risk. Therefore, this study aims to introduce specific research on stalking typologies and psychological profiling to the domestic field by analyzing prior profiling studies from abroad. Particularly, overseas studies, which conduct profiling based on empirical research on their own stalking offenders, are expected to provide significant insights and implications for domestic research on stalking offender psychological profiling and the development of related policies.