South Korea’s Ministry of Gender Equality and Family is to conduct an inspection of sexual exploitation in the workplace, aimed at protecting children and adolescents from harmful environments.
In a statement, the Ministry said it would conduct a crackdown on businesses deemed inappropriate for adolescents to visit or work.
“We will first clarify the type of facilities and businesses that teenagers should stay away from, and then conduct a joint Government inspection on new harmful businesses,” the Ministry said.
“To strengthen the countermeasures against digital sex crimes targeting teenagers, a survey on child and youth sexual exploitation will be conducted during 2023, and internet service providers will receive governmental support to install filtering technologies and software in their business.”
The Ministry said it also planned to expand support for internet addiction diagnosis tests and treatments, as well as developing with measures to prevent excessive personal information exposure.
“We will support the needs of teenagers when it comes to diverse education programs, especially programs related to coding or artificial intelligence, which is necessary for the digital era,” it said.
“Programs for career exploration, culture, art and physical education will also be provided.”
Although South Korea’s overall youth population is decreasing due to the low birth rate and aging population, the number of teenagers who need support and protection is increasing.
Among teenagers aged nine to 19, the number living outside of their family households has increased from 20,875 in 2020 to 28,643 in 2022, based on runaway reports confirmed by the police.
The Ministry plans to establish an integrated information system for vulnerable adolescents by 2024 to effectively identify and manage teenagers in need.
It also plans to build additional nationwide youth counselling welfare centres and boarding shelters, in addition to expanding mental health programs.
Seoul, 27 February 2023
