Rising Number of Sexual Assault Cases Linked to Internet
By Yoo Soh-jung, Staff reporter
Originally published in The Korea Herald, July 7, 2001
Internet-related sexual crimes are becoming more common, a local police officer said yesterday, citing a recent survey.
Based on the discovery of 50 sexual assault cases, the survey titled, "Reality of Female Victims of Violence in South Chungcheong Province," found that nine incidents, or 23 percent, involve victims raped by people they met on Internet chatting sites.
Conducted by the South Chungcheong Province Police Agency, the survey found that most of the perpetrators were in their 20s, while most of the victims were females attending junior high or high schools.
Police said this tendency reinforces the dangers of the Internet.
"Online chatting as a source of sexual violence is a serious problem in Korea," said Kim Dae-ahm, inspector of the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency's Cyber Crime Investigation Unit. "This regional survey cannot be isolated, because the Internet has no boundaries. For instance, there is no region, race nor social class in cyberspace. What happens on online chatting sites can affect anyone," he said.
He also noted that crime rates are higher in countries with a dense population.
Of the total number of cases, 39, or 73 percent, occurred between people who know each other, according to police.
Victims assaulted by neighbors accounted for eight of the cases, 20 percent, while those assaulted by a colleague, junior or senior acquaintance accounted for 5, or 13 percent.
Four of the cases, 10 percent, entailed assault by a co-worker or boss, while only one case involved a relative.
While 60 percent of sexual violence victims are under 20 years old, 22 percent of the incidents occur at the assaulter's home and 28 percent in hotels or other lodging places.
Furthermore, 20 percent involve abductions, 22 percent home invasions and 46 percent bribery.
For now, no specific law exists to control sexual violence linked to Internet chatting, Kim said.
"Most of all, people need sound ethical standards when using the Internet," he added.
