Young smartphone users exposed to porn

By Lee Hyo-sik

Adult websites and applications are too easily accessible to adolescent smartphone users, with the Korean government unable to censor materials uploaded from foreign soil, a lawmaker said Monday.

Rep. Han Sun-kyo of the governing Grand National Party (GNP) said that smartphone users, including minors, can access many applications containing sex-related material and games.

“Internet users cannot search sites containing adult materials by typing in sex-related words. But if you do that in the App Store and Google-backed Android market, you get up to 900 X-rated applications,” he said during the National Assembly’s audit of the Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Sports.

In particular, those who are over 17 can download adult content from the App Store, Han said. “Even if they are minors, they can have access to adult content as long as they type in passwords and click the approve button.”

Among the most downloaded applications, one involving sex acts ranked 40th, he said, stressing there are even applications allowing smartphone users to view adult video clips by providing their uniform resource locators (URL).

“The Korea Communication Standards Commission (KOCSC) has recently decided to tighten applications on App Store and other online open application markets, believing there is too much sex-related material. But it is not certain that the commission will be able to apply local regulations to foreign companies,” the lawmaker said.

Han said rules have become toothless as applications slip through censors and smartphone users gain access to globally-consistent online content platforms. “In order to force foreign companies to properly screen sexually-suggestive materials, there should be an international regulatory regime controlling the open online application markets.”

The KOCSC has been talking with local wireless carriers SK Telecom and KT, which combined have more than 80 percent of the country’s mobile telephony customers, on developing programs to filter content delivered to mobile users who are underage.

It is also trying to talk with foreign companies Apple and Google to come up with a screening process for smartphone content. But it has been difficult for the commission to keep track of the massive flow of applications made available daily.



스마트폰 이용 청소년 포르노에 무방비

정부가 외국으로부터 다운 받는 성인물을 걸러내지 못하는 가운데 성인용 웹사이트와 애플리케이션에 스마트폰 이용 청소년들이 쉽게 접근할 수 있다고 한 국회 의원이 월요일 밝혔다.

여당인 한나라당 한선교 의원은 미성년자를 포함 스마트폰 이용자들이 섹스관련물과 게임을 보유하고 있는 많은 애플리케이션에 쉽게 접근할 수 있다고 말했다.

문화관광체육부 국정조사에서 한 위원은 “인터넷에서는 이용자들이 섹스관련 단어를 쳐 넣어도 성인물이 들어있는 사이트에 들어갈 수 없다”며 “그러나 앱스토어와 구글이 지원하는 안드로이드 시장에서 똑같이 관련 단어를 타이핑해서 넣으며 900여개의 X등급 애플리케이션에 접속할 수 있다”고 밝혔다.

한의원은 특히 17세 이상인 이용자들이 앱스토어로부터 성인물을 다운 받을 수 있다며 “ 이들이 미성년이라 할 지라도 패스워드를 치고 승인버튼을 누르면 성인물에 쉽게 접근할 수 있다“고 말했다.