South Korea: crime and justice

How much crime is there in South Korea?

South Korea recorded 3,343 crimes per 100,000 people in 2024, 222 more than in 2023, according to the Ministry of Data and Statistics' Social Indicators in 2025.

A recorded crime rate depends on how willing people are to report offences and on policing, as well as on the amount of crime, so it is best read as a trend over several years. Because it is expressed per 100,000 people, it allows for changes in population. In the ministry's 2024 Social Survey, 17.9% of people named crime as the biggest threat to society.

Official sources: Ministry of Data and Statistics: Social Indicators in 2025

Do South Koreans feel safe?

28.9% of South Koreans thought their society was safe in general in 2024, 4.4 points fewer than in 2022, according to the Ministry of Data and Statistics' 2024 Social Survey. In 2014 the share was 9.5%.

21.9% thought the country was safer than five years earlier, down 10.4 points. The survey asks people aged 13 and over every two years, so it measures perceptions rather than recorded crime. Perceptions can be shaped by news coverage as well as experience.

Official sources: Ministry of Data and Statistics: 2024 Social Survey

Do South Koreans feel safe walking at night?

30.5% of South Koreans aged 13 and over felt unsafe walking alone at night in 2024, according to the Ministry of Data and Statistics' 2024 Social Survey. The share was 44.9% for women and 15.8% for men.

Asked why, 46.3% pointed to frequent media reports of crimes and accidents, 26.4% to deserted neighbourhoods and 16.9% to a lack of street lights and CCTV cameras. The survey is repeated every two years, so changes can be followed over time.

Official sources: Ministry of Data and Statistics: 2024 Social Survey

What do South Koreans see as the biggest threat to safety?

Crime was named the biggest threat to society by 17.9% of South Koreans in 2024, according to the Ministry of Data and Statistics' 2024 Social Survey. Economic risks came next at 16.5%, followed by national security at 16.2% and environmental pollution at 10.0%.

The share naming the emergence of unknown diseases fell 13.1 points from 2022, and the share naming social conflict over economic gaps fell 0.6 points; all other answers rose. The survey asks people aged 13 and over every two years.

Official sources: Ministry of Data and Statistics: 2024 Social Survey

How many people die on South Korea's roads?

South Korea's road traffic death rate was 4.9 per 100,000 people in 2024, unchanged from 2023, according to the Ministry of Data and Statistics' Social Indicators in 2025.

The rate relates deaths in road traffic accidents to the size of the population, which allows comparison over time as the population changes. The Social Indicators report it in their crime and safety chapter, alongside the recorded crime rate of 3,343 per 100,000 people in 2024, which was 222 higher than in 2023.

Official sources: Ministry of Data and Statistics: Social Indicators in 2025

How many murders are there in South Korea?

According to the UN Office on Drugs and Crime, the intentional homicide rate in South Korea was 0.5 per 100,000 in 2023. The peak was 1.1 per 100,000 in 2009 and the low 0.5 per 100,000 in 2021. Across East Asia & Pacific the middle value was 0.9 per 100,000, and South Korea placed 7th highest of 9. Worldwide: 76th of 79.

What is the female homicide rate in South Korea?

The UN Office on Drugs and Crime puts the homicide rate for women in South Korea at 0.5 per 100,000 in 2023. Its high point since 2011 was 2011, at 0.9 per 100,000; its low point was 2021, at 0.5 per 100,000. Across East Asia & Pacific the middle value was 0.7 per 100,000, and South Korea placed 6th highest of 8. World rank, highest first: 66th of 78.

How many men are killed in South Korea?

In 2023, the homicide rate for men in South Korea was 0.5 per 100,000, according to the UN Office on Drugs and Crime. Since 2011 it has ranged from 0.5 per 100,000 (2021) to 0.9 per 100,000 (2012). Across East Asia & Pacific the middle value was 1.3 per 100,000, and South Korea placed 6th highest of 8. World rank, highest first: 74th of 78.