The National Police Agency in central Seoul. (Yonhap)
SEOUL, May 8 (Korea Bizwire) — The National Police Agency (NPA) is working on establishing a legal basis for carrying out undercover investigations of digital sex crimes.
“While undercover investigation can be done based on previous court decisions, we are trying to establish a legal basis for such kind of investigation,” a source from the special unit to probe digital sex crimes at the NPA said.
“Once a legal basis comes into place through legislative enactment, officers will be able to carry out investigations without having second thoughts.”
Undercover investigation typically consists of two methods – either providing a ‘chance’ or ‘luring’ suspects to commit a crime.
Judicial precedents currently argue that the ‘luring’ method, in which officers set up a trap in advance to lure suspects, is illegal.
The police believes that, unlike the ‘luring’ method which risks the danger of putting innocent people under false charges, the ‘chance’ method poses no legal problems.
In the ‘chance’ method, officers approach suspects with the intent to commit a digital sex crime, arresting them once the crime takes place.
“Once undercover investigation is officially introduced, officers will be able to disguise themselves into adolescents, and crack down on criminals more efficiently,” a source from the NPA said.
The police also plans to develop the practice of confiscating all criminal profits before suspects are found guilty of digital sex crime charges.
“We aim to go strong on retrieving profits of criminal enterprise,” a source from the NPA said. “Our bill is currently pending at the National Assembly.”
The special investigative unit, established on March 25, have thus far apprehended 430 suspects involved in 517 cases of digital sex crimes, placing 70 of them under arrest.
H. M. Kang (hmkang@koreabizwire.com)
