S. Korean man sentenced for producing sexually exploitative metaverse

According to the local media reports in South Korea released recently, a man in his 30s was sentenced to four years in prison as he was accused of producing and storing sexually exploitative content, including minors he tempted on the metaverse.

The identity of the man was not made public, but it was revealed that the accused managed to induce underage victims to record and send pics and clips of their bodies. As per the reports that suggested “4 years in prison for sexual exploitation by approaching elementary school students with a metaverse platform,” this continued from December till March of this year.

The offender met the minors on a South Korean metaverse platform where he utilized an avatar to falsify his age and offered gifts to the minors in order to lure them. In addition to this, it should be noted that along with the four years jail sentence, the offender will have to attend a total of 80 hours of treatment programs for sex criminals.

What was revealed further in the press release concludes that the offender was banned from working in any firm that is associated with teens of the disabled for a term of seven years.

It should be emphasized that the sentencing was based on the offender targeting minors and conceded that the exploitative content was not distributed or shared for profit.

Back in June, Shin Hyun-young, a lawmaker representing the opposition Democratic Party, led a proposal to sanction sexual offenses in the metaverse. Also, the Science Ministry of South Korea announced the ethical principles for the metaverse for protecting minors last month.