In-Depth Analysis of Child Abuse and Stronger Action against Copyright Infringement for Strengthening Rights Protection and Industry Competitiveness
- In August, a total of 102 statutes, including the Child Welfare Act, will take effect.
Starting in August, various new systems will be introduced to solidify the child protection framework and protect the country's future industries and public rights, such as introducing an in-depth analysis system for fatal child abuse cases, establishing a comprehensive support system for the entire semiconductor supply chain, adopting punitive damages for intentional copyright infringement, and banning the illegal resale of performance tickets while strengthening penalties. The Ministry of Government Legislation (Minister Cho Won-cheol) announced that a total of 102 laws and regulations will take effect this August. Some of the key details and enforcement dates of the forthcoming statutes are as follows.
Guaranteeing the Educational Rights of Abused Children and Strengthening the Analysis System for Child Abuse Fatalities (Child Welfare Act, August 4)
To protect the educational rights of abused children and their families and to strengthen the response mechanism against child abuse fatalities, relevant systems will be improved. First, in cases where all persons with parental authority, guardians, or persons with support obligations are the perpetrators of child abuse, the head of a local government is allowed to request the superintendent or director of the office of education, either directly or through the principal of a school, to enroll the victimized child in school without guardian consent. The superintendent or other relevant officials are mandated to comply with this request, thereby preventing violations of the child's educational rights caused by a lack of guardian consent. Additionally, the Minister of Health and Welfare is granted the authority to interview relevant parties and request criminal justice information, enabling an in-depth analysis of suspected fatal child abuse cases. This amendment is expected to formulate effective improvement measures and prevent the recurrence of similar incidents.
Establishing a Comprehensive Support System to Strengthen the Competitiveness of the Semiconductor Industry (Special Act on Strengthening and Supporting the Competitiveness of the Semiconductor Industry, August 11)
A comprehensive legal foundation is established to respond to the global competition for semiconductor technology supremacy and to systematically foster the domestic semiconductor ecosystem. The government will establish a master plan to strengthen the competitiveness of the semiconductor industry every five years, and the Minister of Trade, Industry and Resources may designate semiconductor clusters to build an innovative ecosystem for the industry. Furthermore, the State and local governments will establish industrial infrastructure related to semiconductor clusters and support the establishment thereof, giving priority to funding the associated costs.
Introducing Punitive Damages for Intentional Copyright Infringement and Enhancing the Effectiveness of On-Site Crackdowns (Copyright Act, August 11)
A punitive damages system will be introduced, allowing courts to award damages of up to five times the proven losses for intentional infringements of copyright property rights. Concurrently, the on-site investigation authority of relevant public officials will be significantly reinforced to increase the effectiveness of on-site crackdowns. A new legal basis will be established not only to enter relevant locations to discover, collect, discard, or delete illegal reproductions or circumvention devices but also to directly inspect related documents. Anyone who refuses, obstructs, or evades such actions will be subject to criminal punishment or administrative fines. It is expected that the rights and interests of K-content creators will be thoroughly protected and a fair copyright ecosystem will be established by eradicating illegal distribution.
Eradicating Illegal Transactions of Performance Admission Tickets and Strengthening Economic Sanctions (Public Performance Act, August 28)
In order to ban the illegal purchase and resale of performance admission tickets, viewing tickets, or discount coupons, and to establish a healthy culture of viewing performances, stronger actions against illegal ticket transactions will be taken. Moving forward, purchasing tickets for resale by bypassing or obstructing the fair purchasing process, as well as habitually or commercially selling tickets at a price higher than the original purchase price or brokering such sales, will be strictly prohibited. Violators may face strong administrative surcharges of up to 50 times the sales amount. Furthermore, to swiftly crack down on illegal ticket scalping and address regulatory blind spots, a reward system will be newly established and operated to pay rewards to individuals who report illegal ticket purchases and sales.
