Business Owner Reviewing Tteokbokki Reviews Startled by Photo of 'Important Part'

7.7-Fold Increase in Punishments for Indecent Acts via Communication Media Over 5 Years
Penalties Possible for Causing Sexual Shame or Disgust

A story has emerged about a man who exposed his private parts in a photo while writing a review on a delivery app.

On the 20th, a post titled "The XX guy who uploads photos of his private parts in review pictures" was uploaded on the self-employed online community 'Apeunikka Sajangida' (Because It Hurts, I'm a Boss). A self-employed person named A, who runs a snack bar, said, "Should I report this?" and added, "I take pride in my food and was surprised to receive a bad review for the first time, but in the middle of that, the review photo shows a man's private parts," expressing his shock.

Looking at the screenshot photo that Mr. A posted along with his post, the problematic customer uploaded a photo of tteokbokki ordered on the 13th of last month while exposing his private parts. Mr. A said, "It's a photo of the tteokbokki placed on the table with the customer sitting on a chair, but since he wasn't wearing underwear, his private parts are clearly visible," and added, "I requested the delivery app company to delete it because I thought other people might lose their appetite after seeing the photo." He then asked for help, saying, "It was really shocking and I had a hard time for a month. I'm feeling a bit better now, but how should I deal with something like this?"

Netizens responded to Mr. A's story with comments such as, "It's 100% intentional. Don't pay attention to trash who has nothing to be proud of," "How could he upload a photo worse than plain rice cakes," and "There really are all kinds of strange people." Many netizens also advised reporting the customer who wrote the review to the police. In response to the advice, Mr. A confessed, "My store and the hall were also exposed, so I'm afraid of retaliation," and said, "Because of the fear of retaliation, I think I won't be able to provide normal service to other customers, so I haven't reported it."

In fact, the number of punishments for crimes involving obscene acts using communication media has been explosively increasing recently. According to statistics released by the police, the number of cases of crimes involving obscene acts using communication media surged 7.7 times in five years, from 1,365 cases in 2018 to 10,563 cases in 2022.

Meanwhile, cases of damage caused by obscene materials through communication media on SNS, games, communities, and other online platforms, like Mr. A's case, have been rapidly increasing recently. Such cases can be punished under the Crime of Using Communication Media for Obscenity. This crime involves transmitting words, writings, videos, or objects that cause sexual shame or disgust to the other party through communication media. According to Article 13 of the Special Act on the Punishment of Sexual Violence Crimes, offenders can be sentenced to up to 2 years in prison or fined up to 5 million won.

In fact, the number of punishments for the Crime of Using Communication Media for Obscenity has been explosively increasing recently. According to statistics released by the police, the number of cases of this crime rose from 1,365 in 2018 to 10,563 in 2022, a 7.7-fold increase over five years. Victims of this crime are especially concentrated among women and people in their teens and twenties. Among the total 20,480 victims from 2018 to 2022, 12,960 were women, accounting for about 63%. Among female victims, those aged 30 or younger accounted for 77%, a high proportion. Among all victims, those aged 30 or younger numbered 15,404, accounting for 75.21%.