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Sat, January 28, 2023 | 09:04
-------------------------
Police seeking to shut down porn site Soranet
경찰 수사 '소라넷'은…회원수 100만명 국내 최대 음란사이트
Posted : 2015-11-26 16:53
Updated : 2015-11-26 20:27
Lee Kyung-min
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By Lee Kyung-min

Police are increasing efforts to shut down Soranet, the largest porn site with more than 1 million users.

National Police Agency (NPA) Commissioner General Kang Sin-myeong recently said during a meeting at the National Assembly that officers are investigating the website and its operators.

Police are focusing on not only on the manufacturing, storing and spreading of obscene content online but also on the operators' suspected involvement in, or willful negligence of users' in prostitution and other illegal acts for the past 16 years since the site was set up in 1999.

"We are having talks with our U.S. counterparts to swiftly shut down the website which has its server in the U.S.," Kang said. "The two sides have reached an agreement in principle that the website should be closed."

So far, police have taken a lukewarm attitude toward calls for cracking down on the website, saying it had no jurisdiction over a website using overseas servers.

The police move follows increasing criticism about the website. More than 70,000 people have signed an online petition demanding that the website be shut down and that the operators and members be punished.

Rep. Jin Sun-mi of the main opposition New Politics Alliance for Democracy (NPAD) said that Soranet has become the center of immoral sexual transactions and the authorities have failed to take proper actions to ban them.

"Members of the website degrade women and share photos of women's private parts taken with hidden cameras," Jin said.

According to Jin, users there encourage one another to take photos of women's body parts using hidden cameras; openly share ideas and outline plans of how to rape women; and sometimes details on how to carry out such criminal acts. They also share information on the sex trade.

Police have booked eight members without physical detention for uploading a large amount of pornographic video footage since they launched their investigation of the website in May. Of the eight, a man surnamed Ahn, 37, allegedly posted 600 videos.

Kang said they are now targeting the operators, and will increase efforts to crack down on similar website operators as well.

However, doubt remains on whether the crackdown will be successful.

In 2004, police conducted a massive crackdown on the website and booked 63 people involved in operating the site. But they failed to ban the activities completely because the operators transferred the content after changing website addresses, using servers located in foreign countries to avoid the crackdown.

"Even if the police could shut down Soranet, there will come a second and then a third Soranet, because there will always be demand for such content," a blogger wrote.

On Thursday, an online memo presumably written by Soranet operators was shared on many websites. They said the police investigation and shutdown attempt is "an anachronism to block the rights of adults to watch whatever content they want in a liberal, democratic society."

The memo said the operators abide by the U.S. law. "The opposition movement against Soranet, driven by some feminists, among others, regards all of the activities of the members of Soranet as subhuman. We urge Soranet members to claim their rights as adults."


경찰 수사 '소라넷'은…회원수 100만명 국내 최대 음란사이트

음란물 공유는 물론 직접 만나 변태적 성행위도

경찰이 운영진에 대한 수사에 착수한 것으로 알려진 '소라넷'은 국내 최대의 음란 사이트다.

1999년을 전후로 오픈해 16년째 운영 중인 소라넷은 정상적인 경로로 접속할 수 없음에도 현재 회원 수가 100만명에 이른다.

초기에는 음담패설이나 노출 사진을 주고받는 수준이었으나, 2000년대 초반 운영진이 '국내 최초 성인포털사이트를 만들겠다'며 사이트 규모를 대폭 확장했다.

경찰은 2004년 6월 운영 총책임자를 포함한 운영진 63명을 입건하며 대대적 단속을 벌였지만 완전히 근절되지 않았다. 해외에 서버를 두는 등 다양한 방법으로 단속망을 피해왔다.

국내에서 사이트에 대한 접속을 차단하면 새로운 주소로 사이트를 만들어 이를 SNS를 통해 전파하기도 한다.

특히 소라넷은 음란물 시청 및 공유에 다소 관대한 인터넷 '헤비유저'들마저도 지탄하는 변태적인 사이트로 유명하다.

불법유흥업소 정보나 나체 사진을 공유하는 정도의 불법 행위나, 여성의 신체를 몰래 찍은 '몰카'는 가벼운 축에 속한다.

소라넷에 접속해 본 이들은 '상상 가능한 성적 일탈행위 대부분이 이 사이트를 통해 현실이 되고 있다'고 말한다. 이용자들이 이 사이트를 통해 실제로 만나 원조교제, 불륜, 스와핑, 단체 성행위, 변태 성행위 등을 일삼고 있다는 설명이다.

온라인을 통해 만남에 대한 합의가 오가다 보니 끔찍한 상황에 처하는 경우도 발생한다.

한 트위터 사용자(@K******)에 따르면 한 남성은 소라넷에서 부부 스와핑을 약속하고 만남 장소에 나갔다가 자신은 감금되고 부인은 남성 7∼8명에게 윤간을 당했다고 폭로한 적도 있다.

아울러 은밀히 성행 중인 성매매 광고가 소라넷에서 성행한다는 점도 문제다.

이처럼 위험성이 심각하다는 판단 아래 네티즌 스스로 경찰청장을 상대로 '소라넷 폐지 청원 서명운동'을 시작했다. 25일 현재 서명 인원은 7만명을 넘었다. (연합뉴스)
Emaillkm@koreatimes.co.kr Article ListMore articles by this reporter
 
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