Chilling CCTV footage of a woman narrowly -- and unknowingly -- escaping an alleged stalker has gone viral in South Korea.

According to Korea Herald, the incident occurred on May 28, at 6.20am (local time) in Sillim-dong, Seoul.

Split second

The 85-second video below shows the woman arriving at her apartment and closing the door behind her.

Moments later, a man lunges for the door, but finds it locked.

If you can't watch the video, here's the moment:

After his failed attempt at entry, the man tries the handle again and made what looked like a knocking motion.

He then alternates between pacing the corridor and standing in front of the door.

It is not clear if he made further attempts at entry, as his body was blocking the camera.

Allegedly following the woman home

But that's not all.

In a separate video uploaded by Channel A News (Korea), the man is apparently seen following the woman on the streets.

This reportedly took place right before the home invasion attempt.

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Public outrage over lenient charges

The following morning, the alleged stalker turned himself in after the police started investigations.

Known as Jo, the 30-year-old man claimed to be drunk and not remember what happened, wrote Korea Herald.

The report added that the police initially charged Jo with trespassing and not attempted rape, as there needs to be proof of "physical attack or threats" before the latter could be carried out.

However, after public outrage and a petition with 77,000 signatures, the police made a U-turn and accused Jo of attempted rape, citing the Act on Special Cases concerning the punishment of sexual crimes.

Korea Herald reported that the police also said: “Based on attempts to forcefully open the victim’s front door along with a series of actions, attempted home invasion and rape can be recognised."

Top image via 전담/YouTube