Police struggle to supervise growing number of GPS ankle-monitor users
South Korean police have too few officers to monitor the rising pool of electronic anklet wearers, despite nearly 600 rule breaches this year.
The Ministry of Justice reported that 599 violations of curfew or stay-at-home orders occurred from January through July, highlighting enforcement challenges. GPS-tracked electronic anklets are being used on 5,273 individuals as of July, marking a 9.24% rise since the end of 2025 and an expected total of over 5,500 by the end of the year. However, only 234 field officers were available in August, raising the average caseload to 20.4 anklet wearers per officer, compared with 17.1 in 2022.
Since 2013, the ministry has operated special crime-prevention units that combine probation officers with martial-arts specialists to analyze movements and apprehend violators; these units now have 167 martial-arts officers, falling short of the 170-person quota. Physical threats to staff have increased, with seven probation officers and five martial-arts experts assaulted by anklet wearers in the first eight months of the year.
Why it matters
Insufficient supervision could undermine the effectiveness of electronic monitoring and public safety.
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