Serious crimes, including murder, robbery and rape, linked to online dating sites rose 37 percent in 2003 from the year before to 137 cases, the National Police Agency said in a report Thursday.

Rapes accounted for 72 cases, up 19 from the year before. This was followed by robberies at 37, up 13, and indecent assaults at 18, up four. There were six cases of kidnapping and abduction, up by three, and four cases of murder, down two.

The number of all crimes related to online dating sites came to 1,746 cases, up 15 from 2002, while there were 1,510 victims, down seven.

Eighty-four percent of the victims, or 1,262, were girls under the age of 18. Of these, 597 were high school students, 397 junior high students and four elementary school students.

The NPA said a law enacted in September to fight rising crime tied to online dating appears to have had some effect on curbing the problem, as the number of cases did not grow as fast as in 2002, when they more than doubled from the previous year.

The agency said 95 percent of the victims accessed the dating sites via mobile phones and 5 percent through personal computers. Child prostitution topped the list of cases at 791.

Police punishment

Police forces nationwide punished 433 officers and other employees for misconduct, criminal acts and other reasons in 2003, down 135 from the previous year, the National Police Agency said in a report Thursday.

The agency said 36 people were fired, down 23 from the previous year; 87 were suspended, an increase of eight; 177 received pay cuts, down by 52; and 133 were reprimanded, down 68.