[Asia Economy (Suwon) = Reporter Lee Young-gyu] Since the recent 'n-beonbang' incident, which caused social outrage due to digital sex crimes, the number of counseling calls to the Gyeonggi-do Youth Hotline 1388 has significantly increased.
According to the Gyeonggi-do Youth Counseling Welfare Center on the 8th, the number of digital sex crime counseling cases, which used to be around 5 per month in addition to over 100 general sex counseling calls, totaled 17 just last month.
Looking into the counseling details, most cases involved victims who were lured with pocket money or other incentives on social networking services (SNS) and random (open) chat rooms to provide photos or personal information, which then led to harm.
The perpetrators threatened to distribute the received materials on social networks and demanded money or higher-level photos. The youths, out of fear, could not inform those around them and suffered extreme anxiety over the potential distribution of their photos.
In particular, some youths who had previously received counseling for digital sex crimes were also suffering as memories resurfaced due to the recent 'n-beonbang' incident.
A center official stated, "In one case, a youth who had previously been a victim of digital sex crime and had undergone psychological counseling to some extent was doing okay, but after the n-beonbang incident broke out, they called for counseling saying it was difficult because it reminded them of that time."
The Gyeonggi-do Youth Hotline 1388 provides specialized counseling for youths experiencing anxiety or harm from digital sex crimes such as 'body cam phishing,' which induces obscene acts and exploits them for crimes.
Furthermore, after counseling, the center assists in connecting victims to specialized institutions for reporting the crime, treatment costs, legal support, and deletion of distributed harmful videos.
To prevent sex crimes, the center also works with youths who express guilt over using obscene materials such as 'yadong' (pornography), encouraging awareness of the dangers of such content and fostering a proper understanding of sexuality.
The Gyeonggi-do Youth Hotline 1388 offers professional counseling 24/7, 365 days a year, covering various youth issues such as everyday worries, running away from home, school dropout, and internet addiction. This year, it has handled 15,566 counseling calls.
Youths in need of counseling can access the Youth Hotline 1388 at ▲1388 without an area code (landline) ▲031-1388 (mobile). Additionally, counseling services are available via ▲internet counseling (www.cyber1388.kr) ▲text counseling (#1388) ▲KakaoTalk Plus Friend (#1388 friend addition).
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