Can I report online sexual harassment?

If someone repeatedly posts or transmits expressions online that cause sexual shame or a sense of sexual humiliation, it can be reported as online sexual harassment.

This is because online sexual harassment can be punished under Article 13 (Obscenity via telecommunication media) of the Act on Special Cases concerning the Punishment of Sexual Crimes.

In particular, the following acts can clearly constitute a crime.

∙ Repeatedly posting sexually demeaning remarks, appearance evaluations, or obscene jokes on social media or online communities

∙ Continuously sending remarks referring to sexual content or the body through messages, DMs, and the like

Such online sexual harassment may be punished by imprisonment for up to 2 years or a fine not exceeding 20 million won for the crime of obscenity via telecommunication media.

To report this, it is important to secure evidence such as screenshots of the posts, the posting date and time, and the author's account.

Online sexual harassment causes great psychological shock to victims, and it is often applied in combination with defamation or the crime of insult.

Therefore, if you secure evidence from the early stage and proceed with a criminal complaint and deletion measures together with an entertainment attorney who has extensive experience handling influencer defamation and digital sex crime cases, a swift response is possible.