"Right to Know for Victims VS Catching Innocent People: Will Access to Digital Gyodoso Be Blocked?"

KCSC Resumes Deliberations on 14th
High Possibility of Access Blocking
Private Retribution Illegal but
Reflection Needed on Lenient Punishment for Sexual Crimes

[Asia Economy Reporter Koo Chae-eun] Amid growing controversy over the website 'Digital Gyodoso' that arbitrarily discloses personal information of sex offenders, the Korea Communications Standards Commission will review the site at the Communications Review Subcommittee meeting tomorrow (the 14th).

If illegality is determined through the review on the 14th, the Commission can order access blocking measures against the site. Industry insiders expect the Commission to shut down the site. This issue is under police investigation due to significant legal concerns, and criticism has intensified recently as innocent victims have emerged. Chairman Han Sang-hyuk of the Korea Communications Commission also stated on the 8th regarding Digital Gyodoso, "This is something that cannot happen in a civilized society," adding, "It is private punishment and the content itself is defamatory. We will quickly find ways to block access to the problematic site."

Digital Gyodoso, launched in July, gained attention by arbitrarily disclosing personal information of perpetrators involved in serious crimes such as sex crimes and child abuse. The site stated its purpose as "feeling the limits of lenient punishment for malicious criminals and directly disclosing their personal information to subject them to social judgment."

However, criticism followed after a university student accused as a perpetrator committed suicide while claiming innocence, and an innocent university professor’s personal information was exposed as a perpetrator. This is considered 'private retaliation' that disregards the state's judicial function and can socially ruin innocent people based on limited information.

Nevertheless, some voices argue that even if the site is blocked, there should be reflection and introspection on why Digital Gyodoso emerged. It is pointed out that such 'private sanctions' arise due to lenient punishments for sex crimes, low sentencing standards, and high recidivism rates.

According to the 2020 Sex Crime White Paper released by the Ministry of Justice, among 74,956 sex crime trials conducted over 10 years from 2008 to 2018, only 26.1% resulted in imprisonment. Nearly half, 41.4%, received suspended sentences, and 30.2% were fined. Son Jung-woo, the operator of the world's largest child sexual exploitation site 'Welcome to Video,' was sentenced to only 1 year and 6 months in prison, which sparked public outrage.

On the 11th, Park Sung-min, Supreme Council Member of the Democratic Party of Korea, said at a National Assembly meeting, "If the judiciary does not fulfill its fundamental role, even if Digital Gyodoso is shut down now, second and third Digital Gyodoso sites will inevitably emerge again," adding, "The Supreme Court Sentencing Commission plans to prepare strengthened sentencing guidelines for digital sex crimes this month, and I urge that the enhanced guidelines be promptly established considering public sentiment and the seriousness of sex crimes."

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