Join Chul: "Blocking Illegal Firearm Manufacturing Videos... Introducing Reporting Reward System"

Representative Proposes Comprehensive Bill
to Eradicate Online Firearm Manufacturing Information

Join Chul, member of the Democratic Party of Korea.

Assemblyman Join Chul of the Democratic Party of Korea (Gwangju Seo-gu Gap) announced on September 3 that he had sponsored two amendment bills: one to the Act on the Safety Control of Firearms, Swords, and Explosives, which aims to block illegal firearm manufacturing information and introduce a reward system for reporting violations, and another to the Act on the Establishment and Operation of the Korea Communications Commission.

The amendments are intended to swiftly block videos related to homemade firearm manufacturing methods that are being indiscriminately spread online. On July 20, a suspect in a homemade firearm incident in Songdo, Incheon, was found to have manufactured a homemade gun by referencing a YouTube video, which caused nationwide shock.

This is not the first crime involving homemade firearms. In the 2016 Opaesan Tunnel incident, a repeat offender used a homemade firearm to kill a police officer. However, despite the Korea Communications Standards Commission monitoring and reviewing illegal videos, the limitations of the current system have made immediate blocking difficult, resulting in dangerous information remaining accessible.

Accordingly, the proposed amendments include adding "firearm manufacturing" information to the list of content subject to immediate blocking by the Korea Communications Standards Commission, strengthening penalties upon detection, and introducing a reward system for reporting violations.

The scope of the "emergency written resolution system" of the Korea Communications Standards Commission, which was previously limited to illegal recordings under the Sexual Violence Punishment Act, will be expanded to cover illegal firearm manufacturing information as well as illegal gambling and speculative activity information. In addition, the Act on the Safety Control of Firearms, Swords, and Explosives will be amended to strengthen penalties for posting or distributing firearm manufacturing methods or blueprints on the internet, with violators facing up to five years in prison or fines of up to 10 million won.

Furthermore, a new reward system for reporting violations will be established to provide incentives to citizens who report illegal firearm manufacturing, with the aim of blocking such activities in advance and building a citizen-participation-based response system.

Assemblyman Join Chul emphasized, "The fact that the Songdo incident suspect manufactured a homemade firearm by referencing illegal YouTube videos clearly shows that illegal online information can threaten public safety at any time," and added, "These bills will be a meaningful step toward making Korea safer by powerfully blocking online videos and information about illegal firearm manufacturing."