![Gender Equality and Family Minister Won Min-kyung attends the launch ceremony for a joint government task force supporting victims of digital sex crimes at the Government Complex Seoul on May 6, with Korea Communications Commission Chairman Kim Jong-cheol, acting National Police Agency Commissioner Yoo Jae-sung and senior presidential secretary for gender equality and family Jeong Jeong-ok. [Photo provided by the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family]](https://image.ajunews.com/content/image/2026/05/06/20260506152810964330.jpeg)
The ministry said it held a plaque-hanging ceremony on May 6 at the Government Complex Seoul, attended by Gender Equality and Family Minister Won Min-kyung, Korea Communications Commission Chairman Kim Jong-cheol, acting National Police Agency Commissioner Yoo Jae-sung and Jeong Jeong-ok, senior presidential secretary for gender equality and family.
The task force will be led by the ministry’s director general for safety and human rights policy, serving concurrently as chief. It will include one deputy chief (a ministry director-level official) and seven members, for a total of eight. The Central Digital Sex Crime Victim Support Center will cooperate by conducting initial analysis of platforms where collected illegal filming materials are distributed.
Authorities have faced limits in responding quickly because even clearly illegal filming materials generally required review procedures before access could be blocked. Officials have also pointed to persistent harm from overseas server-based illegal sites, where administrative sanctions are difficult and operators refuse to delete content or repost it repeatedly.
According to the “2025 Digital Sex Crime Victim Support Report” published by the ministry and the Korea Women’s Human Rights Institute, 10,637 victims received support last year, up 3.2% from 10,305 the year before. New victims fell 10.3%, while the number of victims receiving continued support rose 26.3%.
To build a victim-centered, cross-government response, the government decided to establish the task force within the ministry under a directive issued by the prime minister.
The task force plans to conduct in-depth analysis of distribution routes for illegal filming materials, as well as the operating methods and revenue structures of sites where content is repeatedly reposted. Based on that work, it will coordinate with relevant agencies on requests for investigations, fines, rapid blocking and international cooperation.
For cases involving clearly illegal filming materials, it will seek swift access blocks through telecommunications operators. It will also directly handle urgent or serious cases — including mass victimization — that frontline support agencies have difficulty managing.
The government also plans to work with information and communications service providers to prevent further spread, encourage reporting by the public and businesses, and pursue legal and institutional improvements to cut off criminal proceeds.
Won said more fundamental measures are needed to stop the “endless copying and spread” of sexual exploitation materials that threaten daily life. She said the government will go beyond deletion support by quickly cutting distribution routes and using all available means to hold offenders accountable for repeated distribution and refusal to delete content.
Kim said the communications commission will thoroughly inspect and manage compliance with obligations to prevent distribution of illegal filming materials, strengthening accountability for businesses. He said the commission will work closely with the ministry and police to eradicate digital sex crimes.
Yoo said digital sex crimes are serious offenses that leave lasting pain, and police will track down perpetrators who hide behind technology and bring them to justice. He said the task force will help combine advanced investigative techniques with the blocking capabilities of related agencies to uproot the “distribution-circulation-consumption” crime ecosystem under a zero-tolerance approach.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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