“디지털성범죄 법제도, 사후 규율→선제적 대응으로 바뀌어야”

Advanced digital sexual crimes demand a shift in laws and policies, experts said. The International Amnesty Korea chapter held a roundtable titled "The Next Step in Digital Sexual Violence Response" at Peremtopower in Seoul's Jung-gu district on the 27th. The event aimed to examine the current state and limitations of the national digital sexual violence response system and discuss policy challenges.

Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency's Cyber Investigation Team Head, Seo Jeong-nu, highlighted a sharp increase in digital sexual crimes, particularly deepfakes, which surged by 227.2% compared to the previous year. The police had arrested 3,557 suspects in the past year, with deepfake crimes making up 35.2% of the cases and involving 10- and 20-year-olds in 90% of instances.

Experts noted that current laws only focus on post-incident measures, failing to protect victims and tackle offenders, especially young offenders. Lawmaker Huh Min-sook emphasized that existing legislation is ineffective against international platforms and lacks provisions for strengthening penalties against minors. She called for mandatory national obligations and continuous education on digital citizenship and child protection.

Korean Cyber Sexual Violence Response Center Representative Kim Yeon-jin suggested redefining digital sexual violence within a gender-based violence framework, moving away from a focus on physical body invasion to encompass more personal rights violations.