Korean Police-Proposed 'Resolution to Eradicate Online Child Sexual Exploitation' Adopted at Interpol General Assembly

Police Agency building.

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Gwan-joo] The resolution to eradicate online child sexual exploitation crimes, proposed by the Korean National Police Agency and jointly prepared with the International Criminal Police Organization (ICPO, Interpol), was adopted on the afternoon of the 24th (local time) at the Interpol General Assembly held in Istanbul, Turkey.

Since August last year, the National Police Agency has proposed the resolution to Interpol and engaged in close consultations. Based on the draft resolution presented by the Police Agency, the final version was prepared after review by expert groups from several countries.

This resolution recalls that eradicating online child sexual exploitation crimes is an international legal obligation for all countries. It also includes active measures against child sexual exploitation crimes on end-to-end encrypted messengers, as revealed in the so-called 'Nth Room case' that sparked national outrage last year. End-to-end encryption refers to a method where all processes from input to reception in data communication are encrypted, making it impossible to decrypt the code on intermediate servers. While this provides strong security, it also has a high potential for misuse in criminal activities.

Specifically, the resolution includes ▲ expressing deep concern about child sexual exploitation crimes occurring on end-to-end encrypted services ▲ urging the establishment of systems whereby providers of end-to-end encrypted services in each country can effectively respond to cooperation requests from investigative agencies ▲ urging legislative and policy efforts so that investigative agencies in each country can actively respond to child sexual exploitation crimes on end-to-end encrypted platforms and effectively protect victimized children.

Im Yong-hwan, head of the Korean delegation to the Interpol General Assembly and director of the Foreign Affairs Bureau of the National Police Agency, raised awareness of the issue that, due to COVID-19, children's internet usage time has increased worldwide, heightening the risk of online child sexual exploitation crimes. He emphasized the difficulty for investigative agencies to detect crimes and collect evidence because of the nature of end-to-end encryption and urged the adoption of the resolution.

A National Police Agency official stated, "This resolution expresses the strong will of the global police to prevent online child sexual exploitation crimes," adding, "The Korean National Police Agency is making every effort to lead global security standards, including contributing to Interpol projects aimed at eradicating child sexual exploitation crimes beyond this resolution."

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