This study examined the relationship between sociostructural and
environmental features and crime rates in rural areas, including farming, fisheries,
and/or forestry communities. As a result, this study estimated that homicide and
fraudulent crimes in rural areas were positively associated with a low level of
population mobility and with a high level of social ties. This study also indicated
that violent crimes were more concentrated in commercial zones even within
rural areas. Moreover, this study demonstrated that the association between
crimes and criminogenic characteristics in rural areas varied depending on crime
types and specific locations. Thus, this study suggested that authorities in rural
communities enhance the quality of life and narrowly tailor crime prevention
policies according to the specific needs in more localized areas.

Additionally, this study reviewed a crime victimization survey conducted at
three different geographical units of analysis, including eup(읍), myeon(면), and
dong(동). This study showed that the crime victimization rates were relatively
low in myeon area with a low population density level whereas the victimization
rates in eup area with a high population density level and dense commercial
zones were relatively high even as compared to those in urban areas. Moreover,
this study found that fears of crime, measured by a group of survey items, were
lower in rural areas than urban areas. However, fears of crime of females under
the age of 30 in rural areas were higher than fears of crime of those in urban
areas. These discrepancies in fear of crimes between the two areas were
consistent when crimes are categorized into robbery, assault, and sexual crimes.

Examining the relationship between crimes and sociostructural features in rural
areas by reviewing newspaper articles and interviews, this study demonstrated
that crimes, including human right violation against migrant workers and the
disabled, sex crimes, domestic violence, crop theft, vacant home burglary, driving
under influence, unfair receipt of state subsidies, and police corruption, were
positively associated with a high level of hostility, patriarchal consciousness,
absence of natural and systemic monitoring, lack of compliance, and collusion
between private and public sectors.

Based on these findings, this study suggested several crime prevention
countermeasures. First, authorities in rural communities need to improve the
residential environment, resolve vacant house issues, and promote crime
prevention through environmental design (CPTED) projects. Second, law
enforcement agencies in rural areas need to reinforce patrols in areas with a
high level of crime and develop policies particularly protecting females in rural
areas. Third, based on the restorative justice policies, rural communities need
to actively mediate disputes between community members, strengthen the social
network and informal social control, including neighborhood watch program, and
redesign police duties according to the needs of rural areas. Lastly, it is necessary
to enact ‘the Special Act for Supporting Crime Victims in Rural Areas’ to
proactively support crime victims in rural communities.