Seoul: A parliamentary committee on Monday approved a bill that strengthens the penalties for deepfake sex crimes targeting children and teenagers.

According to Yonhap news agency, the Parliamentary Gender Equality and Family Committee endorsed revisions to both the Act on the Protection of Children from sex crimes and the Sexual Violence Prevention Act, responding to growing public concern over the rise of digital sex crimes involving doctored pornographic images of young girls and women.

The revised Act on child protection introduces stricter punishments for using sexually exploitative content to blackmail or coerce minors, setting harsher sentences than current legislation.

Currently, the punishment for blackmailing with such material is imprisonment for one or more years, and three or more years for coercion. The revision increases these penalties to a minimum of three years for blackmail and five years for coercion, specifically when the crimes involve children or teenagers.

Additionally, the revision to the Sexual Violence Prevention Act places the responsibility on the government to remove illegally filmed material and assist victims in resuming normal life. It also provides a framework for both central and local governments to run support centres for victims of digital sex crimes. IANS