The controversy surrounding Kim Soo Hyun’s alleged involvement with minor Kim Sae Ron in 2015 continues to make waves, with public outrage growing both within South Korea and beyond. This scandal, which originally gained traction in South Korea, has sparked intense debates on the legal protections for minors and ignited calls for stronger measures to address statutory rape.
A formal petition, launched on March 31 through South Korea’s National Assembly Electronic Petition System, has gained significant attention. The petition, titled the “Kim Soo Hyun Prevention Act,” advocates for raising the age of consent to 19 and imposing stricter penalties on offenders. As of April 4, 2025, the petition has already secured 42,939 signatures, almost reaching the 50,000 required for official consideration. With 26 days remaining to gather the final 7,000 signatures, the petition is on track to potentially trigger a review by parliamentary committees.
Currently, South Korea’s laws on statutory rape offer protection only to minors between the ages of 13 and 16, leaving individuals over 16 without legal safeguards. The petition highlights this gap, arguing that it allowed Kim Soo Hyun’s alleged relationship with Kim Sae Ron, who was still in high school at the time, to fall through the cracks. The proposal calls for extending protection to cover those aged 16 to 19, closing the legal loophole and preventing similar situations in the future.
In addition to raising the age of consent, the petition calls for a significant increase in penalties for those convicted of statutory rape. Under current laws, offenders face a minimum of two years in prison. However, the petition seeks to impose a minimum sentence of five years, aiming for stricter legal consequences and deterrence.
With widespread public support, the “Kim Soo Hyun Prevention Act” could represent a major shift in South Korea’s approach to protecting minors from sexual exploitation. While the petition has made substantial progress, it remains uncertain whether it will pass through the next stages of the legislative process. One thing is clear, though—the debate surrounding this issue is far from over.
The petition also includes a statement criticizing the current legal framework: “Although South Korean law defines minors as those under 18 and offers them protection, the existing age limit for statutory rape, which only shields minors between the ages of 13 and 16, has allowed offenders to exploit the legal loopholes. This failure has led to cases where individuals, such as the one involving a minor actress, have been allowed to evade justice. To prevent such incidents in the future, we call for a revision of the laws under the name of the ‘OOO Prevention Act.'”
