On December 27, a petition to ban YouTube activities of convicted sexual offenders garnered 50,000 signatures, prompting the National Assembly’s relevant committee to consider the issue. The petition, titled "Request for Strong Legislative Action on YouTube Activities of Those Convicted of Sexual Crimes," has been referred to the Science, Technology, Information, and Broadcasting Communications Committee after passing the threshold of 50,000 signatures.
The petition, initiated on November 13, closed on December 13 with 53,153 signatures, meeting the required number. The committee will decide whether to proceed with the issue before it is discussed in a plenary session of the National Assembly.
The petitioner, identified as Jeong, argued that "convicted sexual offenders should not be allowed to run YouTube channels targeting a wide audience, and that stricter regulations are necessary." Jeong further emphasized that, in light of the growing influence of platforms like YouTube, there should be public discourse about the basic qualifications for operating individual media channels.
Jeong stated, “In this era where YouTube has become one of the most influential media outlets, it’s time to question whether content creators with criminal convictions, especially those guilty of sexual offenses, should be allowed to freely broadcast content that is easily accessible to anyone, regardless of age or gender.” He also highlighted the disparity between traditional media, which would have censured such offenders, and YouTube, which allows them to operate without restriction.
The petition calls for the National Assembly to establish clear regulations regarding the qualifications required for YouTube creators, particularly in relation to offenders convicted of serious crimes like sexual offenses, hit-and-run, unlicensed driving, and assault. Jeong urged the government to implement sanctions against channels operated by such individuals.
The petition gained traction following the case of Go Young Wook, a former member of the K-pop group Roo'ra, who was convicted of statutory rape. After serving a prison sentence and being released, Go opened a YouTube channel in August, which sparked public outrage. Previously, Go had his Instagram account closed by Meta, which bans users with criminal records from using its platform.
After criticism erupted over Go Young Wook’s YouTube channel, YouTube took action to shut it down, though the company did not provide a clear explanation for the move. This led to accusations that YouTube had acted based on public pressure rather than clear policy, prompting calls to formalize such decisions into law.
YouTube clarified that Go Young Wook’s YouTube account was closed due to a violation of the platform's guidelines, which prohibit creators from causing harm to the community outside of YouTube.
In response, Go posted on X (formerly Twitter), questioning whether it was fair that some offenders were allowed to create content while others were not, simply because of their criminal record.
Jeong, the petitioner, pointed out the contradiction in YouTube’s policy compared to Meta’s stance, arguing that YouTube, too, must enforce stricter regulations. He urged the National Assembly to swiftly legalize measures to prevent convicted sexual offenders from continuing their online activities.
As the debate moves forward, the issue of regulating the online presence of individuals convicted of serious crimes like sexual offenses has become a significant topic of discussion, with implications for both content creators and platform providers.
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