Baek Hyeryun: "Charge of 'Property Damage' for Tumbler Semen Terror?... Need to Improve Blind Spots in the Sexual Violence Special Act"

Baek Hye-ryun, Supreme Council Member of the Democratic Party of Korea, is speaking at the Supreme Council meeting held at the National Assembly in Yeouido, Seoul, on the morning of the 11th.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Seohyun] Baek Hyeryun, a Supreme Council member of the Democratic Party of Korea, pointed out the shortcomings of the Act on Special Cases Concerning the Punishment of Sexual Crimes on the 18th and urged the prompt passage of a revision bill.

On the same day, Baek introduced a punishment case of the so-called 'semen terror' incident on her Facebook. The incident refers to a case in April where a male public official in his 40s was fined for repeatedly putting his semen into the tumbler of a female colleague in her 20s.

Referring to this, Baek said, "A man in his 40s who was recently tried was sentenced to a fine of 3 million won. The surprising fact is that the court applied the charge of 'property damage' rather than sexual crime provisions such as 'forcible molestation' to the perpetrator. This is because the court judged that this act damaged the 'utility of the tumbler.'"

He added, "Recently, a 'semen terror' case occurred where a person put his bodily fluids into contraceptives at a subway station for more than six months and distributed them to an unspecified number of women. There have been 10 reported cases." He pointed out, "(However) in Korea, those who smear or put bodily fluids on another person's belongings cannot be punished as sexual crimes because there is no 'direct physical contact.'"

He continued, "Although atypical sexual crimes are rampant, our laws cannot keep up with their speed and diversity. It is time to broadly recognize sexual crimes to protect victims from crime."

Baek concluded by saying, "The partial amendment bill of the Act on Special Cases Concerning the Punishment of Sexual Crimes, which makes 'semen terror' inflicted on objects rather than people punishable as a sexual crime, has been proposed and is pending in the Legislation and Judiciary Committee. I hope the review will be conducted promptly so that lenient punishments due to legal blind spots will no longer occur."

Earlier, Baek had introduced a bill last month to criminally punish 'semen terror' as a sexual crime. The amendment includes provisions that "a person who causes an object that induces or satisfies sexual desire or causes sexual shame or disgust to reach another person may be punished by imprisonment for up to two years or a fine of up to 20 million won."

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