Rep. Heo Eun-ah: "Blocking Domestic Access to Similar N-Banbang Sites Is Only a Temporary Measure"

Preparing for Digital Sex Crime Review
Few Access Blocks Recorded
Effective Alternatives Need to Be Developed

[Asia Economy Reporter Koo Chae-eun] Of the 68,172 cases of digital sex crimes reviewed by the Korea Communications Standards Commission (KCSC), only 148 cases (0.2%) were successfully deleted. Even those were limited to blocking domestic servers, highlighting the need for effective measures to prevent a "second n-beonbang."

According to an analysis of data submitted by the KCSC to Rep. Heo Eun-ah of the People Power Party (Science, Technology, Information and Broadcasting and Communications Committee) on the 28th, out of the 68,172 cases reviewed by the KCSC's Digital Sex Crime Review Support Team over the past three years, 67,939 cases led to corrective actions. Among these, only 148 cases with servers located domestically were successfully deleted, while 67,791 cases hosted on overseas servers were merely blocked from access within Korea.

Rep. Heo Eun-ah pointed out, "Even if access is blocked domestically, the illegal sexual content continues to circulate on overseas servers, making this a mere stopgap measure," adding, "It cannot be an effective response to the increasingly globalized and sophisticated digital sex crimes."

In response, the KCSC explained, "Due to the nature of digital sex crime information, the proportion of overseas servers is very high, but overseas service providers are not subject to domestic laws, making it urgent to establish a cooperative system with them."

It was confirmed that there are only 12 personnel dedicated to receiving reports and supporting reviews of digital sex crimes. Currently, the permanent review support system within the Digital Sex Crime Review Support Team operates with a total of 3 people in 4 teams on a two-shift daily basis. Since the launch of the Digital Sex Crime Response Team in 2018, the number of reviews has significantly increased from 17,486 cases in 2018 to 25,992 cases last year, and as of August this year, it has nearly reached 24,694 cases, approaching last year's total.

Rep. Heo emphasized, "Digital sex crimes are, in themselves, a character assassination of the victims," and added, "Victims find it difficult to live a normal life amid anxiety," stressing, "Apart from identifying and punishing criminals, it is crucial to secure personnel, budgets, and establish systems to prevent the distribution and spread of sexual crime materials."

Rep. Heo also stated, "As seen in the n-beonbang case, digital sex crimes are becoming technically sophisticated and the methods of crime are becoming more vicious," and added, "Instead of merely calling for 'strict response' within the existing judicial system, we need to explore technical countermeasures to prevent spread and distribution, and establish a permanent cooperative system with overseas service providers."