Petition to amend South Korea’s statutory rape law follows K-star Kim Soo-hyun press conference
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After actor Kim Soo-hyun’s tearful speech on March 31 about actress Kim Sae-ron, a petition on statutory rape laws surpassed 30,000 signatures.
PHOTO: REUTERS
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SEOUL – Following South Korean actor Kim Soo-hyun’s tearful press conference on March 31 addressing his relationship with the late Kim Sae-ron, a petition submitted to the National Assembly to amend statutory rape laws
The petitioner urged lawmakers to introduce an amendment, referred to as the “Kim Soo-hyun Prevention Act”, to expand statutory rape protections to include individuals aged 13 to 19. Currently, statutory rape laws in South Korea apply only to those aged 13 to 16.
“The grooming sexual abuse committed by Hallyu star Kim Soo-hyun against then child actress Kim Sae-ron has outraged the entire country,” the petitioner wrote.
“Unfortunately, the current law protects only children aged between 13 and 16, meaning Kim Soo-hyun cannot be legally prosecuted.”
Beyond calling for the age threshold for statutory rape to be raised, the petition also calls for stricter penalties for sexual offences against minors, including a minimum of two years’ imprisonment for indecent acts and five years’ for rape-related cases.
As at 2pm local time on April 2, the petition – created on March 31 – had gathered 33,643 signatures.
Petitions on the National Assembly’s public petition system are available for the public to read and sign digitally for 30 days. If a petition receives more than 50,000 signatures within this 30-day period, it is referred to the relevant National Assembly committee for review. Once the committee adopts the petition, it is presented to a National Assembly plenary session.
Kim Soo-hyun, 37, has come under intense scrutiny following allegations of romantic involvement with Kim Sae-ron while she was underage. The South Korean actress committed suicide at the age of 24 in February.
At the press conference on March 31, he denied allegations of being romantically involved with her when she was 15, asserting that their year-long relationship began in 2019 – when she was 19 and he was 31.
Following the press conference, Kim Soo-hyun and his agency filed a lawsuit seeking 12 billion won (S$11 million) in damages against a woman claiming to be Kim Sae-ron’s aunt, and against HoverLab, a YouTube channel that has been publishing videos about the controversy. THE KOREA HERALD/ASIA NEWS NETWORK
