By Kang Hyun-kyung
People accused of committing sex offenses can now be investigated and prosecuted without a complaint from the victim, the Ministry of Justice said Monday. Reports from third parties will now be accepted as grounds to start an official investigation.
Offenses covered include rape and sexual harassment in public places.
Men will also be recognized as victims of rape, while the statute of limitations will be lifted on more sex-related crimes.
The revisions come after President Park Geun-hye placed a priority on fighting sex crimes and protecting the rights of victims.
So far, under a law adopted in September 1953, victims were required to file a complaint to law enforcement authorities to have the crime investigated.
The latest revision will accept a complaint from a third party to get the process started.
This is expected to address problems with the current system in which offenders threaten victims and prevent them from reporting the crime to police or seek financial settlements. Perpetrators were often allowed to go virtually scot-free.
Under the new revision, Yun Chang-jung, the former Cheong Wa Dae spokesman, could have been investigated in Korea for allegedly groping an intern during a presidential trip to the United States, without a complaint from the victim.
The amendments apply to all kinds of sex crimes defined under criminal law including sexual harassment, sexual assault and rape.
Under the new rules, the statute of limitations will also be removed for a wider scope of sex crimes, including those against minors under 13 and the murder of rape victims.
In a press release, the ministry said the revised laws are aimed at strengthening the punishment of people found guilty of sex crimes, and at the same time protecting victims vulnerable to follow-up assaults.
The government also redefined the victims of sex crimes as people, meaning men can be the victims of sexual assaults. Under the current law, victims of sexual assaults were defined as women.
This made it difficult for the law enforcement authorities to apply sexual assaults charge for males who were raped or victimized.
The new laws will also impose harsher punishment on offenders who attempted or forced adults to perform oral and anal sex.
Under the new rules, recidivists are to get an additional two years or more added to jail terms.
The ministry will handle management and registration of sex criminals, while the Ministry of Gender Equality will be in charge of publicizing the personal information of those found guilty.