Up to 29 Years and 3 Months Imprisonment for Child Sexual Exploitation Material Producer

Supreme Court Sentencing Commission Plenary Meeting
Confirms Digital Sex Crime Sentencing Guidelines Draft

The Supreme Court Sentencing Commission has set the recommended sentence for crimes involving the production of child and adolescent sexual exploitation materials with particularly egregious or habitual offenses at a maximum of 29 years and 3 months in prison. The photo shows Kim Young-ran, Chairperson of the Sentencing Commission, holding the 106th meeting of the Sentencing Commission at the Supreme Court on the 7th. Photo by Yonhap News.

[Asia Economy Reporter Seongpil Cho] The Supreme Court has finalized sentencing guidelines that allow for a maximum imprisonment of 29 years and 3 months for crimes involving the habitual production of child and adolescent sexual exploitation materials.

The Supreme Court Sentencing Commission (Chairperson Youngran Kim) held a plenary meeting on the 7th and approved the sentencing guidelines for digital sex crimes. According to the finalized guidelines, adults who produce child and adolescent sexual exploitation materials are to be sentenced to a basic imprisonment term of 5 to 9 years. If multiple individuals divide roles to produce and distribute videos, imprisonment of up to 19 years and 6 months can be imposed. Habitual offenders may face a minimum of 10 years and 6 months and a maximum of 29 years and 3 months in prison. Adults who purchase multiple child and adolescent sexual exploitation materials face a maximum imprisonment of 6 years and 9 months under the sentencing guidelines.

For habitual offenses of secretly filming body parts without the consent of the other party, known as 'molka crimes,' a maximum imprisonment of 6 years and 9 months can be imposed. If secretly filmed videos were sold, the maximum sentence can be up to 18 years. The sentencing guidelines specify that even first-time offenders who produce or distribute sexual exploitation materials targeting an unspecified large number of people cannot receive reduced sentences. The guidelines also clarify sentencing for crimes involving the distribution of false videos and similar offenses. Basic imprisonment ranges from 6 months to 1 year and 6 months, while habitual offenders may be sentenced from 1 year and 3 months up to a maximum of 5 years, 7 months, and 15 days.

Additionally, the meeting resolved to remove terms such as 'suicide and suicide attempts' from the definition of 'cases causing serious harm to victims.' This is intended to eliminate parts that could be misunderstood as forcing victims to endure suffering or demanding victim-like behavior. These sentencing guidelines will be implemented starting next year.

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