If You Commit Crimes Like Those in the N Room... Sentences Will Increase and Personal Information Will Be Disclosed

Government Reviews and Finalizes Measures to Eradicate Digital Sex Crimes

Comparison Before and After Measures Against Digital Sex Crimes. / Provided by the Ministry of Justice

[Asia Economy Reporters Seokjin Choi, Kwangho Lee, Hyunju Lee] Punishments for digital sex crimes like the 'n번방' case will be strengthened, and the scope of public disclosure of offenders' personal information will be expanded. New provisions will be established to punish preparatory and conspiracy acts related to sex crimes that were previously unpunishable.

On the 23rd, the government reviewed and finalized the 'Digital Sex Crime Eradication Measures' at the National Policy Issues Inspection and Coordination Meeting chaired by Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun. This is a super-strong and comprehensive plan prepared by the government to eradicate digital sex crimes, which are becoming increasingly severe.

The preparation of these measures started from the recognition that current laws, which were originally based on offline sex crimes, do not fully cover the evolving forms of digital crimes. Furthermore, the government plans to strengthen not only investigation and punishment but also protection, support, and education for victims, aiming to address institutional gaps in both prevention and post-processing of sex crimes.

◆Significant Expansion of Punishment Scope and Sentences for Sex Crimes Against Minors= This plan, prepared through discussions by a task force (TF) composed of 11 related ministries and private experts, is based on four main strategies: establishing a zero-tolerance principle for digital sex crimes, strengthening protection of children and adolescents, eliminating blind spots in punishment and protection, and spreading social awareness that these are serious crimes.

First, the plan includes setting minimum sentences (e.g., imprisonment of O years or more) for acts such as selling child and adolescent sexual exploitation materials to strengthen punishment and increase statutory penalties. New punishment provisions will also be introduced for advertising child and adolescent sexual exploitation materials via social networking services (SNS) or the internet.

Additionally, for cases of rape of minors, punishment will be extended to preparatory and conspiracy acts that were previously unpunishable. An independent confiscation system will be introduced, allowing the seizure of criminal proceeds by court decision even if prosecution is not possible due to death or fleeing abroad.

For suspects of serious digital sex crimes, the government plans to actively disclose personal information such as faces from the investigation stage. A separate category will be added to the list of offenders subject to public disclosure, including those who produce or sell child and adolescent sexual exploitation materials.

The government also plans to expand the scope of the 'possession crime,' currently limited to child and adolescent sexual exploitation materials, to include adult sexual crime materials and increase penalties to spread awareness that even viewing sexual exploitation materials is a crime. New provisions will be established to punish the purchase of child and adolescent sexual exploitation materials.

The government intends to ensure that the strengthened sentences are actually applied in prosecutorial indictments and court sentencing. Prosecutors have already strengthened case handling and indictment standards, and the Supreme Court Sentencing Commission is preparing significantly enhanced sentencing guidelines for digital sex crimes.

◆Most Are Legislative Matters... Government Urges 'April National Assembly Passage'= Through the revision and reestablishment of the Act on the Protection of Children and Juveniles from Sexual Abuse (Child and Youth Act), detailed protection and support measures for victims will be prepared.

Currently, under the Child and Youth Act, children and adolescents involved in prostitution are subject to protective measures such as juvenile detention. This was a reason why victims hesitated to report in the n번방 case and was exploited by perpetrators to carry out exploitation.

To address this issue, the government plans to amend the Child and Youth Act to change children and adolescents who became targets of prostitution into 'victims.' Additionally, a new law will be introduced to punish 'online grooming,' which involves luring and conditioning children and adolescents for sexual exploitation.

The age for statutory rape of minors, currently set at under 13 years old, will be revised to under 16 years old, expanding the scope of punishable acts to include sexual intercourse by force even with consent.

The 'undercover investigation' technique, currently used in drug investigations, will be introduced for digital sex crimes. Legal amendments will protect undercover investigators disguised as minors and ensure the admissibility of evidence in future trials.

A reward system will also be introduced to pay informants who report digital sex crime materials that lead to prosecution or suspension of prosecution.

Those fined for possessing child and adolescent sexual exploitation materials will be included in employment restrictions for schools, daycare centers, and similar institutions. New provisions will punish the purchase of sexual exploitation materials and possession of adult sexual crime materials.

The obligation to delete sexual crime materials will be expanded to all internet service providers, with punitive fines imposed for violations. The scope of deletion targets, previously limited to illegal filming materials, will be expanded to cover all digital sexual crime materials.

Especially since minors and military personnel were involved in the n번방 case, tailored preventive education will be conducted for students, out-of-school youth, and military personnel.

At the morning meeting of the ruling party, government, and Blue House held that day, Noh Hyung-wook, Director of the Office for Government Policy Coordination, said, "The eradication measures prepared this time include many legislative tasks. We earnestly request that they be passed during the April extraordinary session of the National Assembly." He added, "We also expect the judiciary to promptly prepare sentencing guidelines that meet public expectations."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.