Current law stipulates that victims must be notified after an investigation is concluded, but it does not mandate notification to specialized support agencies during the investigation process. Critics point out that this could create gaps in the early protection of victimized youth.
Police Notification Rate Falls for Third Consecutive Year… Seongbuk-gu Victim Also OverlookedAccording to police and other sources on the 13th, Mr. Jin (59), suspected of murdering 15-year-old Ms. Kim in
Seongbuk-gu, Seoul, was taken into custody on grounds of potential evidence destruction and flight risk. Police are also investigating Mr. Kim (26), who is reportedly in a common-law marriage with Mr. Jin, on charges of forcing Ms. Kim into theft and prostitution.
Although police identified during the investigation that Kim had been a victim of sexual exploitation, they had not yet notified the Support Center for Victims of Child and Adolescent Sexual Exploitation (the Center). It was reported that police plan to notify the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family once the investigation is complete and the case is referred.
The problem is that under current law, there is no obligation to notify specialized agencies of the victim’s situation during the early stages of an investigation. While the investigation is ongoing, specialized agencies may not even be aware of the victim’s existence, potentially missing the opportunity to provide counseling, medical care, and legal support. In particular, if the victim has not been able to sever ties with the perpetrator, this gap could lead to a risk of re-exploitation.
The Center for the Protection of Children and Adolescents is an agency that provides specialized support—including legal, medical, and psychological counseling—to children and adolescents who are victims of sexual exploitation. Unlike youth shelters, which provide temporary protection, lodging, and meals, it focuses on counseling and recovery support tailored to the specific nature of sexual exploitation. In particular, it plays a role in providing ongoing intervention to help victims sever ties with their perpetrators and recover in a safe environment.
The police’s referral rate to specialized agencies has declined for three consecutive years since 2022. According to data obtained by Edaily from the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family, the police’s referral rate to the Child and Youth Sexual Exploitation Prevention Center fell from 79.6% in 2021 and 80.6% in 2022 to 67.4% in 2023, 54.1% in 2024, and 38.0% last year. This represents a 42.6 percentage point drop compared to 2022.
Experts in the field emphasize that early intervention is crucial, as victims of sexual exploitation often find it difficult to sever ties with their perpetrators. This is because, in situations involving threats, economic dependence, or psychological control, simply reporting the abuse does not immediately free the victim from the exploitative relationship. While specialized agencies must build trust and provide ongoing counseling and support, delays in reporting reduce opportunities for intervention.
In fact, it was determined that Ms. A only confided in the police about the abuse after she was separated from her perpetrators at the Juvenile Classification and Assessment Center last September. However, it was reported that after she was released from the center on the 3rd, she resumed contact with her perpetrators and grew closer to them. If the police had shared the information with specialized agencies at the time they became aware of the abuse, there would have been an opportunity to consider additional protective measures; however, no such notification was actually made. Nevertheless, no direct causal relationship between the failure to notify and the murder has been confirmed.
Investigation Began, but Protection Was Delayed… Cases Where Notification Took a Year
There have also been cases where it took nearly a year for the police to notify specialized agencies even after confirming instances of sexual exploitation. According to data from the Ministry of Gender Equality, while the first statement interviews with victims took place in January of last year in Busan and South Gyeongsang Province, and in February of last year in Daejeon, notification to the Juvenile Protection Center was not made until January of this year. This system can delay the victimized youth’s opportunity to receive support from specialized agencies by several months.
If, in the meantime, the victimized youth cuts off contact or returns to the perpetrator, it becomes difficult for specialized agencies to begin providing support, even if they intervene belatedly.
An activist at a Child and Youth Protection Center lamented, “In many cases, by the time a case is referred after the investigation has progressed to a certain extent, the victim has gone into hiding and cannot be found.” This highlights a structural limitation in which the starting point for victim protection is determined by the timing of notification from investigative agencies.
Causes cited for the decline in notification rates include a lack of awareness of the system among frontline investigators and staffing shortages. The number of police personnel assigned to crimes against women and youth decreased by 1,338, from 5,068 in 2021 to 3,730 by the end of 2024. While the demand for responses to relationship-based crimes—such as stalking and dating violence—has increased, the number of field personnel has actually decreased.
Kim Soo-hyun, an attorney at Seosa Law Firm, stated, “As investigators come and go, new investigators assigned to the Women and Juvenile Investigation Team often do not know to submit the notification list to the prosecution and police.” This highlights the concern that the notification procedure intended to protect victims can depend on whether individual investigators are familiar with the system.
The National Assembly is pushing for a legislative amendment to move up the timing of notifications to specialized agencies to the early stages of an investigation.
The amendment to the Act on the Protection of Children and Adolescents from Sexual Abuse, sponsored by Representative Kim Nam-hee of the Democratic Party of Korea, stipulates that when investigative agencies discover children or adolescents who are victims of sexual exploitation, they must notify relevant agencies without delay and ensure that the victims receive counseling and protection from specialized support agencies prior to the investigation. Rep. Kim Seon-gyo of the People Power Party has also proposed an amendment to change the current regulation—which requires notification only after an investigation is completed—to require notification immediately upon the commencement of an investigation. The intent is to connect victimized adolescents with specialized agencies early on, without waiting for the investigation to conclude.
Along with the legislative amendment, there are calls to improve systems to ensure that notification procedures are not overlooked at the scene of an investigation. Attorney Kim suggested, “When a case involving sexual exploitation is filed, a pop-up could be displayed during registration on the Criminal Justice Portal to enable notification to the Center for the Protection of Children and Adolescents.”
The police also agree on the need for institutional improvements to increase the notification rate. An official from the National Police Agency stated, “We share the same concerns with the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family regarding the need to improve the notification rate and are currently in discussions,” adding, “Given the complexity of procedures for cases involving young women and girls, improvements such as automating the notification process are necessary.”
