A government survey released Tuesday by South Korea’s Ministry of Gender Equality and Family reports that several forms of sexual violence decline overall, but digital sex crimes committed by current or former partners account for a larger share. The ministry’s 2025 comprehensive survey on sexual violence, conducted under the Sexual Violence Prevention and Victims Protection Act, polled 10,151 men and women aged 19 to 64 across the country. The survey is conducted every three years and compares results with the 2022 study.
According to the findings, lifetime victimization rates for multiple major categories are lower than in 2022. Sexual violence involving means of communication—such as phones and online platforms—drops from 9.8% to 7.6%. Lifetime prevalence of sexual harassment declines from 3.9% to 2.4%, and rape, including attempted rape, falls from 0.2% to 0.1%.
Despite these overall decreases, the report says the perpetrator profile is shifting, with intimate-partner digital sex crimes making up a growing portion of sexual violence. The ministry also reports that victim-blaming attitudes and secondary victimization remain high.
