Petition for stronger statutory rape laws gains traction amid Kim Soo Hyun controversy

A petition titled “Petition for raising the statutory rape age and strengthening penalties—also known as the ‘Kim Soo Hyun Prevention Law’” has been submitted to the National Assembly’s electronic petition system, sparking public debate in the wake of actor Kim Soo Hyun’s alleged relationship with a minor.

Posted on March 31st KST, the petition urges lawmakers to raise the age of protection under South Korea’s current statutory rape law from 13–16 to 13–19 years old, and to increase the minimum sentencing guidelines.

The petitioner referenced the recent allegations involving Kim Soo Hyun and the late actress Kim Sae Ron, stating: “Unfortunately, under the current law, which only protects minors aged 13 to 16, Kim Soo Hyun cannot be legally prosecuted. To prevent similar cases in the future, I am calling this the ‘Kim Soo Hyun Prevention Law.’”

The proposed changes include:

1. Raising the age range for statutory rape protection to 13–19 years old.
2. Increasing the penalty from a fine or a minimum two-year sentence for sexual assault to a minimum of two years for molestation and five years for rape.

Currently, South Korea’s statutory rape law applies when someone aged 19 or older engages in sexual activity with a minor aged 13–16, regardless of consent.

Since its launch on March 31st, the petition has garnered over 3,000 signatures as of the morning of April 1st. If it receives 50,000 signatures by April 30th, it will be formally reviewed by the relevant parliamentary committees.

On the same day the petition went live, Kim Soo Hyun held a press conference where he emotionally denied both the alleged underage relationship and claims of debt-related coercion directed at Kim Sae Ron.