A pair of government inspectors checking a public restroom at the Seocho-gu District Office in Seoul for hidden cameras on Aug. 30, 2018. (image: Yonhap)
SEOUL, Jan. 18 (Korea Bizwire) — Among victims sexually harassed by offenders who took illicit videos of them and shared them online, 60 percent were videotaped by their spouse, partner, or colleagues at work.
The Ministry of Gender Equality and Family announced a report from the Center to Support Digital Sex Crime Victims on Thursday.
The center, which was launched in April of last year, received 5,687 complaints from 2,379 victims last year, providing victim support on over 33,921 occasions.
Among them, 1,307 victims were exposed to the illegal production and distribution of photography, threats to expose sensitive photos, and cyber bullying.
Among 1,699 cases in which victims were illicitly photographed, 65.2 percent were committed by an ex-spouse, ex-partner or colleagues at work.
Each victim was found to be exposed to as many as 2,975 cases of simultaneous distribution of sensitive photos.
Among all victims who filed a report at the center, 2,108 victims were female, and 271 male. People in their 20s and 30s were most exposed to sexual offenses at 25.9 percent, while victims of digital sexual crimes were aged between 10 and 50.
The center provides support with deleting all distributed content, conducting investigations to protect the victims, and offering legal and medical services.
Beginning this year, the center will employ 10 more staff and a professional lawyer to provide expedited, professional legal aid.
In addition, an integrated management system will be set up to assist in searching for illegal content online and work closer with the police and the Korea Communication Standards Commission.
The center will also collaborate with the Ministry of Science and ICT to develop AI technology to effectively block illegal content.
“The center will go through a series of improvements to provide better support to the victims,” said Lee Sook-jin, the Vice Minister of Gender Equality and Family.
H. M. Kang (hmkang@koreabizwire.com)
