[Square] Welcoming the Commitment of the 'Human Rights Police'

Jung Soon-chae, Visiting Professor at Dongguk University.

All illegal and harmful content in the internet cyberspace is rendered useless, and compared to useless energy, it is called 'Cyber Entropy.' Entropy is a term referring to a scientific law, and there may be criticism that using it in social sciences is inappropriate. However, this term is used to denote the amount of digital information, and I agree with Professor Jeong Wan of Kyung Hee University Law School, who first used this expression.

The internet environment is as important as the green environment. In the non-face-to-face society caused by the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19), a significant portion is resolved on the internet, and this area will expand further in the future. If such cyberspace is filled with illegal information and criminal acts, so-called cyber entropy, it would be a serious social problem.

Cyberspace is filled with entropy that could cause a cyber-environment disaster. Various obscene materials, including sexual exploitation content that arouses public outrage like the 'n-beonbang incident,' insults, and defamatory posts are rampant. The risk of information breaches due to hacking, smishing, and virus distribution is also very high. The increase of entropy in cyberspace caused by various illegal activities such as cyber prostitution, cyber gambling, and internet fraud is serious.

The most serious and fatal internet waste is sexual exploitation materials and defamatory posts. Posting such content is an active criminal act. It is a serious human rights violation that can plunge victims into mental panic, making normal recovery impossible. The types of sexual exploitation materials, malicious comments, and false information dissemination that deeply wound victims are becoming more diverse, and the methods are becoming more cruel, which is concerning.

For the protection of human rights in cyberspace, the revision of laws and the determination of investigative agencies to crack down are very important. I was in charge of cybercrime investigations for about 20 years until my retirement. I conducted various types of investigations related to cyber human rights, such as human rights-violating posts, digital sexual violence cases, and cyber violence. During those investigations, I take pride in the active investigations to protect victims' human rights and the prompt response to prevent internet spread, even now.

Earlier this year, the 'Telegram n-beonbang and Doctor's Room incidents' aroused public outrage. This case is a digital sex crime incident that used messenger apps like Telegram from the second half of 2018 until last March to threaten victims whose faces appeared in nude photos to produce sexual exploitation materials and distribute them. Recently, follow-up bills to the 'n-beonbang Recurrence Prevention Act' were proposed in the National Assembly.

The police were in charge of investigating this case. The police, who investigated numerous victims, suspects, and vast video materials, are evaluated as having protected the human rights of the public. This is because no cases of human rights violations of victims or suspects were found during the investigation process. It became an opportunity to positively evaluate the police's human rights awareness.

The Constitution of the Republic of Korea explicitly protects the human rights of the people. Article 10 of the law states, "All citizens shall have the dignity and value as human beings and the right to pursue happiness. The state shall confirm the inviolable fundamental human rights of individuals and bear the obligation to guarantee them." Human rights are fundamental rights that everyone naturally possesses. Natural human rights (天賦人權) cannot be arbitrarily taken away by others and are rights naturally given from birth, to be respected and protected. The role of the police in protecting the human rights of the people is very important because the police are at the forefront of law enforcement.

The official blog of the Police Human Rights Center, 'Police Human Rights Center,' advocates human rights police. It states, "The police have been entrusted with the mission to protect safety and order on behalf of the community citizens. The police must always work based on universal civic spirit, which is the path toward democratic, human rights, and livelihood police."

I welcome this commitment of the police and expect active practice. Only then will the police faithfully fulfill the state's duty to guarantee the human rights of the people of the Republic of Korea, a free democratic country guaranteed by the Constitution. Furthermore, our citizens should not hesitate to support and encourage the police to perform perfect police work and fulfill their role as legitimate human rights protectors.

Jeong Soon-chae, Visiting Professor, Dongguk University