최근 사이버 스토킹과 관련하여 시행한 조사에서 20대 여성중 79.2%가 사이버 스토킹을 당했다는 결과는 우리 사회가 사이버 스토킹의 위험수위가 더 이상 방관할 수 없는 수준에 도달하였고 본다. 이메일, 문자메세지, 블로그, 채팅방, SNS 등 가상의 공간에서 스마트폰과 인터넷을 통하여 자행되는 스토킹 행위는 기존의 스토킹과 달리 시간·공간적으로 매우 자유롭고 그 괴롭힘의 방식이 매우 다양하다는 점에서 피해자의 입장에서는 사이버스토킹이 더 큰피해로 다가올 수 잇따. 그럼에도 불구하고 현행 우리나라 사이버스토킹에 관련된 법령은 다양한 사이버스토킹 유형을 법률에 제대로 반영하지 못한 입법적 불비가 있다고 본다. 예를 들어 현행 스토킹처벌법에서는 정보통신망을 이용하여 문자나 SNS 등을 보낸 경우에 있어서 이러한 행위가 피해자에게 직접 도달해야 한다고 규정함으로써 메시지가 도달하지 못한 경우 처벌을 못한다거나 당사자의 허가 없이 개인정보나 이미지를 수집하거나 이를 합성 또는 유포하여 다른 범죄에 사용행위 등을 처벌하지 못하고 있다. 더불어 사이버스토킹의 범주에 포함될 수 있는 GPS 등을 이용한 위치추적 등의 경우에도 관련 규정이 없다는 점에서 처벌이 불가능하다. 사이버 스토킹은 스토킹의 한 방법이라고 볼 수도 있지만 사이버 스토킹에서 시작하여 오프라인상의 스토킹으로 발전함으로써 피해자의 생명·신체에 직접적인 위해를 발생 시킬 가능성도 적지 않다고 본다. 따라서 본 논문은 현행 스토킹처벌법상의 사이버스토킹에 관한 이러한 문제점을 해결함으로써 실질적으로 가해자를 처벌하고 피해자를 보호 할 수 있는 방안을 제시하고자 하였다. 이하에서는 우리나라의 사이버스토킹의 정의 등을 살펴보고 외국의 입법례를 고찰함으로써 시사점을 도출하여 현행 스토킹 처벌법의 개선 방향을 제시하였다.

In a recent survey on cyberstalking, 79.2% of women in their 20s were cyberstalked, and we believe that the risk level of cyberstalking has reached a level that our society can no longer stand by. Unlike conventional stalking, cyberstalking can be a greater damage to the victim's point of view, as stalking through smartphones and the Internet in virtual spaces such as e-mail, text messages, blogs, chat rooms, and SNS is very free in time and space. Nevertheless, the current laws related to cyberstalking in Korea are considered to have legislative defects that do not properly reflect various types of cyberstalking in the law. For example, the current stalking punishment law stipulates that when text messages or SNS are sent using information and communication networks, such acts should reach victims directly, and thus cannot be punished or collected or synthesized or distributed without the permission of the parties. In addition, punishment is impossible in the case of location tracking using GPS, which can be included in the category of cyberstalking, in that there are no related regulations. Cyber stalking can be seen as a method of stalking, but there is a high possibility that it will cause direct harm to the victim's life and body by starting with cyber stalking and developing offline stalking. Therefore, this paper attempted to suggest a way to practically punish the perpetrator and protect the victim by solving these problems regarding cyber stalking under the current stalking punishment law. In the following, implications were derived by examining the definition of cyberstalking in Korea and reviewing foreign legislative examples, and the direction of improvement of the current stalking punishment law was presented.

In a recent survey on cyberstalking, 79.2% of women in their 20s were cyberstalked, and we believe that the risk level of cyberstalking has reached a level that our society can no longer stand by. Unlike conventional stalking, cyberstalking can be a greater damage to the victim's point of view, as stalking through smartphones and the Internet in virtual spaces such as e-mail, text messages, blogs, chat rooms, and SNS is very free in time and space. Nevertheless, the current laws related to cyberstalking in Korea are considered to have legislative defects that do not properly reflect various types of cyberstalking in the law. For example, the current stalking punishment law stipulates that when text messages or SNS are sent using information and communication networks, such acts should reach victims directly, and thus cannot be punished or collected or synthesized or distributed without the permission of the parties. In addition, punishment is impossible in the case of location tracking using GPS, which can be included in the category of cyberstalking, in that there are no related regulations. Cyber stalking can be seen as a method of stalking, but there is a high possibility that it will cause direct harm to the victim's life and body by starting with cyber stalking and developing offline stalking. Therefore, this paper attempted to suggest a way to practically punish the perpetrator and protect the victim by solving these problems regarding cyber stalking under the current stalking punishment law. In the following, implications were derived by examining the definition of cyberstalking in Korea and reviewing foreign legislative examples, and the direction of improvement of the current stalking punishment law was presented.

Stalking, Cyberstalking, online stalking, Stalking Punishment Act, protection of stalking victim