▲ everything about Nth room

‘Nth room’ is a digital sex crime where sexual videos of ordinary women, including minors, were widely shared and sold via Telegram, which is an overseas mobile messenger. It is known that Nth room has run since the second half of 2018. The owners of this room threatened and forced to take sex exploits, and they sold those videos via Telegram. The prosecution is suspecting that they used Telegram because of great security.

▲ many people have agreed to punish the users or Nth room

Those cruel behaviors were from only 25 years old man. Because of this crime, the anger of people reached the peak, and many people agreed of punishing every single one of users of the ‘Nth room’ at Cheong Wa Dae National Petition. Also, the president ordered a strict investigation into this crime, saying “It is the cruelest act of destroying a person’s life.”

▲ expectation and doubt about `Nth room prevention law`

Since many people outraged due to this sex crime, the National Assembly passed ‘Nth room prevention law’, trying to strengthen the punishment through this law. The key point is the creation of a new content that imposes up to three years in prison or fines of up to 30 million won on those who possess, purchase, and store illegal sexual photographs. The current law is subject to punishment only for distribution and sale, but the revised law provided a legal basis for even simple holders to take legal action. In particular, the National Assembly made it clear that sexual violence will be punished even if one distributes footage of one’s body against one’s will. Previously, there was no regulation to punish victims who filmed the video themselves even if others spread it, as in the case of ‘Nth room’, but the revised bill included cases where they filmed their own bodies.

The minister of justice wrote on her Facebook that “Before and after the ‘Nth room’, we must be different. No further digital sexual exploitation is allowed with the National Assembly's passage of the ‘Nth room’ prevention law.” A law that passed the National Assembly will be transferred to the government. Then, the president will examine and promulgate it within 15 days. I hope this prevention law actually can prevent sex crimes.

May 9th, 2020

by Kim Si-Hyoung