Main Contents of the Bill
The main contents of the bill to amend the Businesses Affecting Public Morals Regulation Act (fuei-ho), submitted by the National Police Agency, are as follows.
Addressing online operations - Customer acquisition using the internet and social media will also become subject to the notification system - New penalties for online customer acquisition conducted without notification - Establishment of statutory grounds for requesting platforms to remove illegal advertising
Strengthened penalties - Raising the penalty for operating without notification from the current maximum of two years' imprisonment to a maximum of three years' imprisonment - Strengthened penalties for the use of minors (strengthening the dual-liability provisions for corporations)
Periodic reporting system - Introduction of an annual reporting system for licensed operators (obligation to report financial status and employee status)
Reaction from Industry Groups
Industry groups gave conditional approval, saying, "A notification system for online customer acquisition will increase the administrative burden on legal operators, but we will accept it if it leads to the elimination of illegal operators." Some lawyers, meanwhile, expressed the view that "strengthening enforcement capacity should come before strengthening penalties."
This article was compiled based on publicly available information.