2024.07.21. The Fair Economy — Kwon Chil-seung, a lawmaker on the National Assembly's Foreign Affairs and Unification Committee, said on the 20th that he has filed a bill to partially amend the Special Act on Punishment of Sexual Violence Crimes. The bill would allow police to conduct undercover investigations into digital sex crimes.
Crimes occurring on anonymous messengers like Telegram or on the dark web are difficult to investigate through overt methods. Additionally, the rapid development of artificial intelligence (AI) technology has led to an increase in sex crimes using deepfakes.
The recent 'Seoul National University Nth Room case' is known to have ended with police failing to identify the suspect during their investigation, before the culprit was eventually caught with the help of an undercover civilian.
Currently, undercover identity operations and non-disclosure of identity in digital sex crimes are stipulated only in the 'Act on the Protection of Children and Youth against Sex Offenses,' limiting their scope to crimes against children and adolescents.
To overcome these limitations, the amendment allows police to disguise or withhold their identity in all digital sex crimes, including those against adults, and to collect evidence and materials related to criminal acts at crime scenes (including information and communications networks) or from individuals presumed to be perpetrators.
Considering the potential infringement of suspects' fundamental rights, the amendment also includes corresponding fundamental rights protection provisions, such as adding notification procedures regarding the execution of (urgent) undercover identity operations.
Rep. Kwon said, "Digital sex crimes are characterized by high anonymity, rapid spread, and infinite repetition, so more active and powerful investigations, such as undercover operations, are necessary. We must prevent a second or third Nth Room case through swift passage of the bill."
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