National Assembly reviews Kim Soo Hyun Prevention Act legislation seeking to raise age of consent to 19 after signature petition

Situation off Warning: Listed here contains mentions of sexual assault

Actor Kim Soo Hyun is underneath intense public scrutiny following allegations that he dated actress Kim Sae Ron when she modified into pleasing 16 years used. The controversy has sparked nationwide outrage, with many accusing the actor of grooming and execrable habits towards a minor. In response, voters at some level of South Korea bear raised their voices, stressful stronger precise protection for minors and pushing for adjustments to the most fresh statutory r*pe laws.

This public sprint has ended in the appearance of a petition now would possibly per chance well be named the Kim Soo Hyun Prevention Act. The petition calls for the precise age of consent to be raised to 19 and for harsh punishments in opposition to adults focused on s*xual relationships with minors. As of April 7, 2025, pleasing a week after it modified into posted on March 31, 2025, the petition had gathered 51,333 signatures, surpassing the 50,000-signature requirement for consideration by the National Assembly.

The petitioner for the “Kim Soo Hyun Prevention Act” mentioned, “No longer too lengthy ago, Kim Soo Hyun has angered the general public with allegations that he dedicated a grooming sex crime in opposition to Kim Sae Ron in the previous,” and pointed out that “the most fresh statutory r*pe of a minor handiest protects kids between the ages of 13 and 16, so although Kim Soo Hyun in actuality dedicated the crime, he can now now not be punished in actuality.”

In the present day, the National Assembly of South Korea is reviewing the petition. Constant with the petition job, as soon as the 50,000 trace is reached interior 30 days, the proposal is referred to the associated committee in the National Assembly. The committee then has 90 days to make a resolution whether or now now not to forward the petition to a chubby parliamentary session for dialogue and potential legislative action.

In the present day, Article 305 of the Criminal Act makes it illegal for an adult over 19 to interact in s*xual exercise with a minor (old between 13 and 16), regardless of consent. Such s*xual offenses are treated as r*pe and are punishable by at least 3 years in jail. With the petition now underneath legitimate overview, the National Assembly’s verdict will resolve whether or now now not this case outcomes in a valuable replace in South Korea’s laws on the protection of minors from predators.