Public calls for stronger protection of crime victims A photo shows drawings allegedly made by a convicted stalker in a letter sent to his victim during his prison term. (Victim's Threads account) A threatening letter apparently sent by a convicted stalker to his victim while serving a prison sentence has sparked widespread outrage online, raising renewed concerns over South Korea's legal protection system providing sufficient protection for stalking victims.According to a social media post uploaded Thursday, the woman describing herself as a stalking victim said she received the letter while the man was serving a one-year prison sentence. The envelope also contained drawings believed to have been made by the convict.The drawings, which the man described as a "present," featured flowers and feathers, including what he claimed were a dandelion and a magpie feather. At the top of one drawing, he wrote, "See you soon, I'll find you," followed by a drawn smiling face.The letter also included phrases such as, "Feeling sorry can be done only when there is nothing I can do for you," and, "I did not mean to love you, but I just went to you because you were there," along with other incoherent remarks.The woman wrote that the stalker knows the locations of shops run by her parents and sibling, adding that she has suffered sleepless nights fearing he could visit her or her family after his release."I called the police, but there's nothing else I can do," she wrote.As the post spread across online communities, many leveled criticism at the ability of the inmate to send letters to the victim despite being imprisoned, saying the correspondence inflicted further fear and emotional distress.Under the Act on Punishment of Crime of Stalking, emergency and provisional protection measures can prohibit contact through telecommunications, such as phone calls, text messages and online messaging services, but do not cover letters sent by mail.Many online users also called for tougher penalties for stalking offenders and stronger measures to keep them separated from their victims.The post touched off a fierce response from the public, as there had already been a series of cases in which police protection failed to prevent stalkers from approaching or harming victims.In one such case, a woman was killed in Namyangju, Gyeonggi Province, in March by a man who had allegedly stalked her, renewing criticism over the authorities' failure to effectively separate victims from offenders.Reports of stalking crimes have continued to rise. Police received 31,824 stalking reports in 2023 and 31,947 in 2024, before the figure jumped to 44,687 last year.