S1 E4 Read Together: Legislative changes the Nth room case brought to Korea

안녕하세요. 네번째 에피소드에서는 the Korea Times의 실린 칼럼 Thinking beyond punishment to combat digital sex crimes의 한 부분을 함께 읽습니다. 에피소드에서 함께 공부하는 부분을 보면서 공부하고 싶으신 분들은 아래 링크 중 하나인 제 블로그나 유투브 채널에서 다시 보시면서 복습하시는걸 권장 드려요 :) 

In the wake of the chilling "Nth room" case,/ the South Korean government recently announced an inter-agency plan/ to "eradicate digital sex crimes."

This response is a testament to the women's rights activists/ who have fought for years/ to make officials take digital sex crimes seriously./ But the measures raise digital rights concerns,/ including freedom of expression for women and girls online,/ and only scratch the surface of/ what a comprehensive response should entail.

In late April,/ as part of measures to establish a "zero-tolerance" policy,/ the National Assembly passed bills/ to crack down on perpetrators of digital sex crimes.

Reforms included but were not limited to/ making it a crime/ to possess, buy, store, or watch non-consensually captured images,/ with punishments of up to three years in prison/ or a fine of up to 3 million won ($2,600)./ The law also raised South Korea's minimum age of consent/ from 13 to 16./

While an improvement,/ some of these new provisions are as problematic as previous laws/ in that they permit very light sentences/ that are inadequate to genuinely deter or punish such grave crimes./

Moreover,/ in practice,/ judges often treat perpetrators with leniency./ For example,/ SBS News reported that/ 92 percent of 2019 convictions for sexual exploitation of children and adolescents/ resulted in a fine averaging 2.9 million won.

Human Rights Watch also found that/ judgments leaned to fines over incarceration./ Digital sex crimes are an extreme form of abuse/ with long-term consequences for survivors;/ criminal law provisions need to reflect that./

전체 글은 아래 링크에서 읽으실수 있습니다.

https://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/opinion/2020/05/197_289806.html