Incheon/Seoul, Republic of Korea, 27-28 March 2025 - The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) Centre of Excellence for Statistics on Crime and Criminal Justice in Asia and the Pacific (CoE) undertook a strategic mission in the Republic of Korea, reinforcing its longstanding collaboration with the Korean Institute of Criminology and Justice (KICJ) and expanding partnerships to strengthen the measurement of crime and justice across the region.
The mission, led by Jonghee Choi, Coordinator, and Jisu Kim, Statistical Officer, focused on advancing joint initiatives with KICJ on cybercrime measurement and crime victimization surveys, while also engaging with key partners including the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA), the UN Project Office on Governance (UNPOG), and the UN Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) East and North-East Asia (ENEA) Subregional Office.
Joint Research Agenda on Cybercrime and Victimization
At the heart of the mission was a series of in-depth discussions with KICJ, UNODC’s key technical partner in the Republic of Korea. The two institutions agreed to deepen their cooperation through two concrete projects.
The first is a Cybercrime Framework Study, designed as a national case study on Korea’s application of the UN Convention against Cybercrime. This study will serve as a baseline to inform the future development of measurement frameworks on cybercrime at the regional and international levels. By examining the Korean context, the study aims to provide evidence-based insights that can support broader efforts to harmonize cybercrime statistics globally.
The second initiative, the Regional Capacity-Building Initiative on Crime Victimization Surveys, seeks to strengthen survey-based crime data collection across Asia and the Pacific. Building on Korea’s leadership in conducting national household surveys, the project will support countries in the region to implement internationally aligned crime victimization surveys, generating data essential for monitoring progress toward the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 16.
In a dedicated meeting with the 2025 Korean Crime Victim Survey (KCVS) team at KICJ, the CoE discussed technical support for data analysis and reporting. The collaboration aims to align the survey with international classifications, including the International Classification of Crime for Statistical Purposes (ICCS) and the Korean Crime Classification Standard (KCCS). A joint factsheet on SDG 16 indicators will also be produced to enhance the visibility of crime and justice data in Korea’s SDG reporting.
Exploring Funding Pathways for Crime Statistics Capacity-Building
The mission included preparatory discussions with the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA) to explore avenues for resource mobilization. These initial dialogues helped clarify available partnership frameworks and how UNODC, as an international organization, could engage in Korea’s development cooperation mechanisms through joint proposals with national partners such as KICJ and Statistics Korea.
As part of this effort, a meeting was held with Seok Hwa Hong, Vice President of KOICA, who expressed strong interest in the relevance and need of UNODC’s mandate, particularly in addressing regional and domestic challenges related to drug trafficking and abuse. The Vice President encouraged closer collaboration between UNODC and KOICA, highlighting the importance of clearly demonstrating project feasibility, expected outcomes, and long-term sustainability. He expressed hope for stronger engagement between UNODC country or regional offices and KOICA country offices, looking forward to future initiatives that reflect local needs and create opportunities for more effective partnership.
Subregional Collaboration on SDG 16 Governance and Data
Beyond bilateral partnerships, the mission explored broader subregional collaboration on SDG 16. The CoE engaged both the ESCAP East and North-East Asia (ENEA) Subregional Office and the UN Project Office on Governance (UNPOG) to discuss complementary efforts in strengthening governance and justice data across East and North-East Asia.
With ESCAP ENEA, discussions focused on integrating crime and justice statistics into the subregional preparations for the Asia-Pacific Forum on Sustainable Development (APFSD). The APFSD’s preparatory meeting in ENEA was identified as a potential platform where the CoE could deliver technical training sessions on SDG 16 indicators, helping to build statistical capacity across the subregion.
In parallel, the meeting with UNPOG explored opportunities for joint engagement on justice and governance. Possible areas of collaboration include the CoE’s participation in UNPOG’s Annual Regional Symposium, as well as contributing expertise to initiatives that promote youth engagement in SDG 16, such as the SDG Youth Contest.
Looking Ahead
The mission to Korea marked a significant step in expanding the Centre of Excellence’s technical partnerships and laying the foundation for future collaborative projects. Through deepened bilateral engagement with KICJ, exploratory dialogues with KOICA, and enhanced subregional cooperation with ESCAP ENEA, the CoE is well-positioned to further support countries in Asia and the Pacific in strengthening crime statistics and justice governance.
The Centre will continue to work closely with its partners to advance these initiatives, contributing to the achievement of SDG 16 and to building safer, more just societies through better data.
