NCJ Number
141927
Date Published
1992
Length
28 pages
Annotation
This paper presents results from a victimization survey of 2,000 Seoul (Korea) citizens to determine the true incidence of crime in Seoul in 1990, patterns of reporting, risk factors for victimization, and people's responses to crime.
Abstract
A comparison of the victimization rate for Seoul with other large cities of the world with over 100,000 inhabitants showed that Seoul had the highest rate for robbery and was the second highest in personal theft (after Warsaw, Poland). The rate for reporting crime to police was low in Seoul, except for car theft, burglary, and assault. A total of 51.2 percent of the respondents reported they were satisfied with the police. The highest victimization rate was found among those who lived in villas, followed by those who lived in a house and those who lived in apartments. This was true for both car-related and burglary victimization. Persons who engaged in frequent nighttime activities outside the home and those who frequently left their homes vacant for 2 or 3 days tended to have higher victimization rates. This is because such people are more vulnerable to victimization outside the home, and their residences are frequently left without protection. Persons who had been victimized tended to be more fearful of victimization, and they also tended to take more precautionary measures. The use of caretakers was effective in crime prevention, but keeping lights on and having neighbors watch the premises had limited effect. 36 references