Latest news with #ActontheProtectionofChildrenandJuvenilesfromSexualAbuse
Korea Herald
20 hours ago
- Korea Herald
Man posts murder threat of children, women
Suspect of online murder threat against 5 girls believed to have posted number of other threats, and allegedly possessed child pornography Seoul police recently handed over to prosecutors the criminal case of a 28-year man, who is accused of posting multiple threats of attacks against elementary school students and women in a number of locations across the country. The suspect in December claimed on an online community that he will go to a Seoul-based elementary school and "murder them all," posting names of the five female students there and a picture of a weapon. They were found to be a girl who the suspect made an unwanted advance to via social media, and her friends. It was reported that the suspect made a demand for videos and photos of the girl to her and her friends, which they declined and told her to stay away. A police investigation revealed other murder and terrorism threats posted by the man, which included those targetting women at locations in Seoul, Busan, and Bucheon of Gyeonggi Province. He also claimed to have planted a bomb at the Kintex convention center in Goyang, Gyeonggi Province, and vowed to set the Constitutional Court on fire. It is also believed that he had owned and distributed child pornography. Officials caught the suspect in Siheung, Gyeonggi Province on June 16, and placed him under detention two days later. No evidence has been found as of yet indicating that he took any steps to carry out the attacks. When approached by reporters outside of the Seoul Jungnang Police Station on Monday and asked if he had actually planned to plant the bomb or murder people, he answered "No," and said he was "sorry" for posting the threatening posts. The suspect is currently facing criminal charges including violation of the Child Welfare Act, Act on the Protection of Children and Juveniles from Sexual Abuse. He is also being charged with obstructing performance of of official duties by fraudulent means, as his online threats hindered the duties of police officials. Police said that it will continue investigating some of the charges, particularly one related to his alleged possession and distribution of child pornography.
Korea Herald
02-04-2025
- Politics
- Korea Herald
Law revision to punish off-line grooming of minors to be reviewed by parliament
The law revision that will allow punishment of both online and off-line grooming of minors is expected to be reviewed in the National Assembly's plenary session this week, government officials said Wednesday. The revision of the Act on the Protection of Children and Juveniles from Sexual Abuse centers on punishing the act of building a relationship with a minor with the intent of sexual exploitation, regardless of where such action takes place. It is one of the agenda items for the parliament's plenary sessions slated for Wednesday and Thursday, according to the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family. South Korea in 2021 revised the law to provide legal grounds for punishment of grooming of minors, but the current clause only stipulates such actions that occur via IT network. This oversight left a legal loophole that could potentially be exploited by those committing such crimes offline. A Korean Institute of Criminology and Justice report analyzed 108 legal cases related to sexual crimes committed on adolescents, 54 of which were related to grooming and 42 of which happened online. This suggests a significant portion of sex crimes directed at minors is related to grooming. A National Police Agency data in 2023 showed that of the 7,200 cases of sex crimes against minors in 2022, 1,500 could be considered a form of grooming. Rep. Kim Sang-wook of the ruling People Power Party, who proposed the revision to punish offline grooming of minors, revealed that cases related to sexual intercourse with minors surged from 69 in 2018 to 637 in 2023, citing NPA data submitted to him. The latest revision was passed by the parliament's Gender Equality and Family Committee on March 6, along with measures for stricter punishment of sex offenders. It is widely expected to be passed by the National Assembly, as neither the ruling or the opposition parties have spoken out against it. Those who lure minors for the purpose of sexual exploitation could be punished by up to three years in prison, and the authorities are allowed to conduct undercover investigations to catch the perpetrators.
