By Yi Whan-woo
A court sentenced two operators of video and movie download sites to suspended jail terms Sunday for allowing the mass distribution of pornography and other sexually-explicit content.
The Seoul Central District Court handed down a one year prison sentence suspended for three years to one of the men, surnamed Kim. It also gave another operator, surnamed Park, a 10-month-jail term suspended for two years.
The pair had allowed their users to search and download pornographic images, videos and other adult material prohibited in Korea.
The court said that Park, 33, who was also ordered to do 80 hours of community service, knew that the users had distributed and shared illegal content since he started the site in December 2009.
It added that he did not delete the material and failed to set up a protection system that prevents users from finding the banned items. He was also accused of making money by charging users downloading the content.
Kim, 36, took over the website from Park in May 2010, and was indicted on the same charges. Kim, was given 120 hours of community service and a 1.2 million won ($1,070) fine.
“The defendants knew that the website was a route for users to upload and download illegal content but neglected their responsibility to prevent the circulation of such material,” the court said.
The ruling comes amid growing concerns over a rising number of sex crimes against women and minors. The attacks include those by repeat sex offenders and pedophiles who have confessed to frequently watching pornography online.