SEOUL, The number of calls from stalking victims to a government-run women's counseling hotline has more than tripled over the past three years, authorities said Tuesday. The 1366 emergency counseling service for women received a total of 9,017 calls on the problems of stalking last year, a 3.3 times increase compared with 2021, according to the gender equality ministry and the Women's Human Rights Institute of Korea (WHRIK). Counseling calls related to stalking victimization have increased by thousands of cases in recent years, rising from 2,710 in 2021 to 6,766 in 2022, they said. The hotline provides counseling and emergency protection services 24 hours a day, 365 days a year for victims of domestic, sexual, digital sexual and dating violence, stalking and sex trafficking. "The sharp increase in stalking-related calls may have come after the anti-stalking law implemented in July last year led to a rise in the number of stalking cases reported to law enforcement agencies and the 1366 hotline," a WHRIK official said. On the other hand, the total number of calls made to the 1366 hotline decreased by 6.2 percent, from 313,000 in 2021 to 294,000 last year. The number of calls on domestic violence fell from 171,000 to 161,000 in the same period, while calls on sexual violence dropped from 19,000 to 14,000. Calls on dating violence also decreased from 9,824 to 9,187. Source: Yonhap News Agency