"Procedural Restrictions Must Be Eased to Activate Undercover Investigations in Digital Sex Crimes"

'Challenges and Goals for the Development of Undercover Investigation System' Academic Seminar
Discussion on Improvement Measures for Offshore Search and Seizure
Police Arrest 75 People Through 46 Undercover Investigations

[Photo by National Police Agency]

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Gwan-joo] There have been calls to ease procedural restrictions to revitalize the 'undercover investigation' system introduced to combat digital sex crimes.

Professor Lee Seong-gi of Sungshin Women's University, who presented at the academic seminar titled "Tasks and Goals for the Development of the Undercover Investigation System" held on the 15th by the National Investigation Headquarters of the National Police Agency in collaboration with the Korean Police Research Association, the Police University Institute of Police Policy Research, and the Crime Investigation Research Institute, stated, "Regarding undercover investigations with undisclosed identity, it is necessary to clarify the concept by referring to cases from the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany, etc., and to establish a post-approval system similar to undercover investigations with disguised identity. Clear legal grounds should be established so that police officers can receive various necessary supports from related agencies, and ways to expedite procedures among the police, prosecution, and courts should also be considered."

Professor Oh Sang-ji of the Police University, who participated in the discussion, also argued, "Compared to Germany's undercover investigations, which require court approval only in specific cases, South Korea's undercover investigation procedures are relatively strict. Procedural restrictions should be eased for crimes with high illegality to enable efficient investigations."

Additionally, the seminar discussed improvement measures for 'extraterritorial search and seizure' to activate undercover investigations. Extraterritorial search and seizure refers to evidence collection methods for electronic information stored by overseas-based internet service providers beyond the enforcement power of South Korean warrants. Professor Song Young-jin of the Police University said, "To activate digital sex crime undercover investigations that collect evidence through contact in cyberspace, it is necessary to clearly define the scope of jurisdictional authority for extraterritorial data collection under international law."

The seminar was attended by Nam Gu-jun, head of the National Investigation Headquarters; Lee Cheol-gu, president of the Police University; Kim Kwang-ho, director of the Cyber Investigation Bureau of the National Police Agency; Park Hyun-ho, president of the Korean Police Research Association; and the deputy director of the U.S. Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Korea branch, among others.

A National Police Agency official stated, "Based on the discussions at the seminar, we will continuously identify areas for improvement to develop the undercover investigation system. Through the newly established Cyber Sexual Violence Investigation Division within the Cyber Crime Investigation Department of the National Police Agency, we will command undercover investigations conducted nationwide and operate an undercover investigation inspection team to prevent procedural violations and abuse of investigations."

Meanwhile, since the introduction of the undercover investigation system on September 24, the police have conducted a total of 46 undercover investigations (41 with undisclosed identity, 5 with disguised identity) as of today, arresting 75 individuals and detaining 3.

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