[Exclusive] Child and Adolescent Sex Purchase Crimes Triple in Five Years... 1,510 Cases Detected [Sexual Exploitation, Out]

③Status of Child and Adolescent Victims
1,510 Cases of Child and Adolescent Sex Purchase Detected Over Five Years
137 Cases in 2020 → 571 Cases in 2024
88% of Victims Met Offenders Online
Awareness of Child and Adolescent Sexual Protection Weakening

Editor's NoteChild and adolescent prostitution is defined as sexual exploitation. This is because children and adolescents, whose sexual self-determination is not fully developed, cannot be regarded as subjects of sexual consent or contractual agreement. Children and adolescents who quickly form close relationships online through social media, messengers, and anonymous platforms are now more easily drawn into sexual exploitation crimes than in the past. According to the Central Digital Sex Crime Victim Support Center of the Korea Women's Human Rights Institute, one in four people (27.8%) who received support for digital sex crimes last year were teenagers. Compared to 2023, the number of teenage victims supported by the center increased by more than 600 (a 3.3 percentage point rise). Child and adolescent sexual exploitation crimes are clear acts of sexual abuse. This article examines whether there are ways to prevent such crimes and what specific countermeasures are needed, based on real-life cases.

#. Park, a second-year middle school student, met a man through an anonymous chat app. Having suffered sexual abuse by her stepfather for eight years, Park mistakenly believed she was in a relationship with the man. The man demanded to film their sexual intercourse. Park could not refuse outright. It was only later that the support facility protecting Park discovered the situation. The police were notified, and they conducted a forensic investigation of the man's phone for possession of obscene material. The investigation revealed additional crimes on the man's phone. Park was the eighth victim. There were seven other children and adolescents who, like Park, had been filmed. The man was sentenced to seven years in prison.

In 2020, as digital technology-facilitated child and adolescent sexual exploitation crimes such as the 'Nth Room' case became more severe and the exposure of victims increased, the Act on the Protection of Children and Youth Against Sexual Offenses was amended to toughen penalties. However, crimes involving the purchase of sex from children and adolescents have not decreased. Over the past five years, such crimes have tripled.

 

Among sexual exploitation crimes, the purchase of sex is punishable under Article 13 of the Act on the Protection of Children and Youth Against Sexual Offenses. Those who purchase sex from children or adolescents face imprisonment for at least one year and up to ten years, or a fine of up to 20 million won. Those who entice or solicit such acts face imprisonment of up to three years or a fine of up to 30 million won. The purchase of sex from children under the age of 16 is subject to aggravated punishment.

According to data obtained by Asia Economy from the National Police Agency via the office of Lee Dalhee, a member of the National Assembly's Public Administration and Security Committee and Gender Equality and Family Committee, the number of cases detected involving the purchase of sex from children and adolescents over the past five years totaled 1,510. The number of cases detected increased annually from 137 in 2020, to 190 in 2021, 236 in 2022, and reached 571 in 2024. These figures cover only the purchase of sex among sexual exploitation crimes; if digital sexual exploitation crimes are included, the number of victims would be even higher.

By region, crimes involving the purchase of sex from children and adolescents tended to be proportional to population size. Last year, there were 327 such crimes in Seoul, Gyeonggi, and Incheon alone, accounting for more than half of the total. In particular, the Gyeonggi Southern region, which has the largest population in the country, recorded the highest number of cases with 355 over five years. In 2020, Gyeonggi Southern had 30 cases, not much different from Seoul's 25, but this number surged to 97 in 2023 and 139 in 2024. Out of Gyeonggi Province's total population of 13.7 million, about 10 million live in Gyeonggi Southern, which is even more than Seoul's 9.34 million.

In Gwangju, the number of cases rose from one in 2020 to 11 in 2023 and 22 in 2024, representing more than a twentyfold increase. During the same period, the number of such crimes in North Chungcheong increased from one (2020) to 15 (2024), in North Jeolla from three (2020) to 16 (2024), and in North Gyeongsang from four (2020) to 22 (2024). Even in Sejong and Jeju, where there had been no cases five years ago, three and five cases were detected last year, respectively.

The sharp rise in sex purchase crimes over the past five years is due to the increased ease of committing such crimes online. According to the "2023 Trends and Analysis of Sexual Crimes Against Children and Adolescents," 88.1% of child and adolescent victims met their perpetrators through the internet. The most common initial point of contact was chat apps that allow random chatting (37.6%).This was followed by social networking services (SNS) at 25.8% and messengers at 12.6%. Relationships formed through online games accounted for 8.1%.

Lee Dalhee stated, "Recent sexual exploitation cases such as the Nth Room and 'Pastor Room' incidents are essentially the same as the purchase of sex from children and adolescents. Children and adolescents are particularly vulnerable because they are highly receptive to advanced technologies like the internet and smartphones, and have easier access. This appears to be the reason why sex purchase crimes against children and adolescents are increasing nationwide." She added, "We must uphold the principle of prioritizing victim protection, and establish measures to prevent recidivism through active detection and punishment." Lee also emphasized, "Furthermore, I will work to help create a social safety net so that the counseling and healing of child and adolescent victims, most of whom are suffering psychological pain, are not neglected."

Some analysts also point to the weakening of the general moral consciousness regarding the need to protect the sexuality of children and adolescents as a reason for the surge in sex purchase crimes. Cho Jinkyung, head of the Teenager Women's Human Rights Center, said, "Perpetrators of sexual exploitation are highly sensitive to social changes because they fear punishment. The fact that such crimes continue to be rampant even after the 2020 strengthening of the Act on the Protection of Children and Youth Against Sexual Offenses shows the offenders' confidence that they will not be punished even if they commit crimes."

She continued, "While there have been perpetrators who received ten-year sentences for possessing, distributing, or threatening with sexual exploitation material, there have also been court rulings where offenders who sexually exploited children as young as 13 were released on probation. Ultimately, political and social turmoil can lead to more harm for children and adolescents."

※ If you are experiencing difficulties due to digital sex crimes, domestic violence, sexual violence, prostitution or sexual exploitation, dating violence, or stalking, you can receive 24/7 support year-round via the Women's Emergency Hotline 1366 (☎1366). For counseling related to child and adolescent sexual exploitation, anonymous one-on-one counseling is also available through the Korea Women's Human Rights Institute's youth counseling channel D4Youth (@d4youth).