Crackdown alone can’t solve child abuse issue

Hwang Eui-gab
Kyonggi Univ. professor

By Jun Ji-hye

A crackdown on child pornography can’t be the sole solution to rape and molestation targeting minors, an expert said.

Hwang Eui-gab, professor of the Police Administration Department at Kyonggi University, said, “Sex offenses are more about social structure and culture, therefore a solution requires legal and procedural acts to prevent people from viewing children and women as sex abuse targets.”

The professor raised an issue over the police and government’s recent crackdown, saying “If they crack down on child porn only when child rape becomes a big issue, it will be seen as an administrative convenience or just a show,” he said. “Furthermore, there is a limitation to control porn because it is widely spread through the Internet these days.”

Hwang admitted that punishment for possessing child porn in Korea has been light, compared to other countries. In the United States, prison sentences of varying lengths for possession of child pornography are issued, while Korea only fines violators. “It is true that the government pays little attention to matters of child porn. They should have dealt with it more seriously,” he said.

In the same vein, the opposition Democratic United Party lawmaker Choi Min-hee submitted an amendment to the Youth Sex Protection Law Friday, which raised the punishment for possession of child pornography from a fine of up to 20 million won ($17,710) to a maximum of one year in prison.

“It is a good sign that legal attempts to fight against child sex abuse are being made. But there should be further steps to build effective child protection services through cooperation between government agencies,” he said.

After police declared a war on child porn earlier last week, those who uploaded or downloaded child pornography through the Internet have been apprehended and indicted.

In Suwon, three people were arrested, while 57 were booked without detention Tuesday. This was the first time the prosecution has received arrest warrants for someone in possession of child pornography.

Debate over child sexual offence and child porn heated up after a 23-year-old man, Ko Jong-seok was arrested in Naju, South Jeolla Province on Aug. 30. He kidnapped a sleeping seven-year-old girl from her house and left her under Youngsan Bridge after raping her. He confessed to the police that he even attempted to murder her after the rape.

Ko did not have a criminal record of sexual abuse but admitted that he habitually watched child porn and felt the urge to have sex with children. His statement raised a lot of concern on the correlation between child pornography and the rape of minors, resulting in the police’s declaration of the war.

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