Police Agency Holds Emergency Meeting of 'Cyber Sexual Violence Investigation Advisory Group' to Discuss Response to 'n-bunbang'

Mingabryong: "We Must Gather Wisdom to Fight Against the 'Digital Sex Crime' Virus"
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National Police Agency Commissioner Min Gap-ryong is delivering opening remarks at the emergency meeting of the 'Cyber Sexual Violence Investigation Advisory Group' on the 26th. / Photo by National Police Agency

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Gwan-joo] On the 26th, the National Police Agency held an emergency meeting of the 'Cyber Sexual Violence Investigation Advisory Group' at the police headquarters in Migeun-dong, Seodaemun-gu, Seoul, and listened to opinions from experts in various fields.

The Cyber Sexual Violence Investigation Advisory Group is composed of 19 experts from academia, the legal community, and women's organizations to provide advice on police investigations and victim protection regarding 'digital sex crimes,' as well as cooperation in international collaboration and investigation intelligence sharing.

Min Gap-ryong, Commissioner of the National Police Agency, who attended the meeting, stated, "In the war against the severe virus called 'digital sex crimes' hidden throughout our society, your wisdom and cooperation are urgently needed to secure a decisive victory." He explained the reason for holding the emergency meeting. He continued, "There is a very high public demand for eradicating digital sex crimes," adding, "As we enter the 'first year of responsible investigation,' we accept this as the 'number one order' given by the public to the police and will thoroughly investigate and punish the perpetrators."

On the same day, the National Police Agency appointed Kim Soo-hee, Policy Director of the Korean Women's Associations United, Judge Yoo Sung-hee of the Seoul Eastern District Court, and Kendrick Young, Deputy Director of the U.S. Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Korea Branch, as new advisory members.

In particular, Deputy Director Young's participation is expected to strengthen international cooperation necessary for investigations such as the Telegram 'Nth Room' case. Young said, "Atrocious crimes continue to spread in both countries," and emphasized, "We must eradicate this issue by cooperating with members of society and non-profit organizations." He also referred to the 2018 case of the dark web child pornography distribution site 'Welcome to Video,' which was apprehended through Korea-U.S. cooperation, stating, "HSI will do its utmost to ensure that criminals are brought to justice by building a stronger partnership with the Korean National Police Agency through technical expertise, new technologies, and mutual exchange of information to eradicate 'child sexual exploitation.'"

Additionally, various support measures for victim protection were discussed at the meeting. Park Sung-hye, Support Team Leader at the Digital Sexual Crime Victim Support Center of the Korea Women's Human Rights Institute, which has been supporting digital sex crime victims since 2018, said, "To support victims of Telegram sexual exploitation, we will form a public-private joint special support team to promptly delete victim videos even after case closure and continue in-depth and professional support in counseling, investigation, and legal assistance."

There was also a suggestion for the police to listen carefully to the voices of victims in this case. Kim Soo-hee, Policy Director of the Korean Women's Associations United, urged, "Comprehensive guidance on counseling and legal support for victims must be thoroughly provided at the police stage to ensure that victims are not neglected," and added, "Thorough victim investigation and testimony collection will enable a detailed understanding of the facts of the case."

The National Police Agency plans to actively reflect the advisory group's recommendations and meeting results in frontline operations, including the previously launched 'Digital Sex Crime Special Investigation Headquarters,' in policies related to investigation and victim protection.