After Chuseok, Digital Sex Crime 'Undercover Investigation' Fully Introduced... What Will Change?

Enforcement of Revised Youth Sexual Protection Act on the 24th of This Month
Distinction by Identity Non-Disclosure and Identity Concealment
Proactive Response to Sexual Exploitation Crimes Possible
Police Calmly Preparing for Implementation Including Investigator Training

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Gwan-joo] After the upcoming Chuseok holiday, investigations into digital sex crimes by the police will undergo a revolutionary change. From the 24th of this month, 'undercover investigations' will be officially introduced. Triggered by the Telegram Nth Room case, the formal introduction of undercover investigations for digital sex crimes in Korea is expected to prevent crime victims in advance and enable more proactive arrest activities.

According to the police on the 11th, the National Police Agency conducted a week-long training for undercover investigators specializing in digital sex crimes from the 6th to the 10th. Forty undercover investigators recommended by each city and provincial police agency received training at the Police Investigation Training Institute located in Asan, Chungnam Province, covering ▲concepts and procedures of undercover investigations ▲online grooming ▲personality and aptitude tests ▲undercover investigation systems, techniques, and cases from the U.S. Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) ▲understanding the realities of digital sex crimes and victims ▲victim interview techniques ▲tracking and practical exercises related to digital sex crimes.

Notably, the training included case education via video conference by an investigator from the HSI headquarters, which had previously introduced undercover investigations, and the Korean branch chief with undercover investigation experience attended in person to introduce the U.S. system.

Since last year's Doctor's Room and Nth Room cases, institutional changes to strengthen digital sex crime investigation capabilities and prevent victimization have continued. Along with significantly enhanced punishments, various institutional measures to protect victims are being implemented, and systems for rapid investigation and prevention of secondary victimization are being introduced. A representative example is the 'Illegal Filming Material Tracking System' operated by the police, which registers illegal videos distributed on SNS or overseas illegal sites to detect and analyze distribution routes and request deletion and blocking.

Among these, undercover investigations stand out as the most notable change. The amended Youth Protection Act, which provides the legal basis for the police to conduct undercover investigations, passed the National Assembly in February and will be enforced from the 24th of this month. Undercover investigations are broadly divided into identity non-disclosure investigations and identity disguise investigations. Identity non-disclosure investigations involve hiding the police officer's identity and approaching the perpetrator as if they were a purchaser of sexual exploitation materials to collect evidence, conducted with approval from the head of the investigative department of a higher police agency and reported to the National Assembly and the National Police Commission.

Identity disguise investigations can involve creating virtual identification cards. For the police to use this method, they must obtain a prosecutor's request and a court's approval. However, issuing virtual resident registration cards or driver's licenses is difficult under current law, so alternatives such as modifying actual IDs or creating student IDs are being considered.

The reason undercover investigations are attracting attention is that they enable 'proactive surveillance' of digital sex crimes characterized by anonymity and fluidity. It is also expected to be effective in crime prevention by forming a deterrent psychology among criminals. The police's task is to minimize initial trial and error and ensure immediate responses to digital sex crimes.

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