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Kim Soo Hyun Prevention Act surpasses 50K signs, moving it to National Assembly for raising age of consent to 19
Kim Soo Hyun Prevention Act secures over 50,000 signatures amid Kim Sae Ron dating scandal, pushing to raise consent age to 19 and enforce a minimum 5-year sentence for physical molestation.
Trigger Warning: The following article contains mentions of sexual assault
Kim Soo Hyun’s dating relationship with minor Kim Sae Ron has shaken the South Korean nation. The actor is not only in career turmoil, but his name has become the namesake of a new legislative push aimed at protecting minors from s*xual abuse. A petition supporting the Kim Soo Hyun Prevention Act. This act seeks to raise the age of consent and strengthen penalties for statutory r*pe has garnered 51,083 signatures as of 5:00 PM (KST) on April 7, 2025.
Just one week after being posted on the National Assembly’s electronic petition platform on March 31, 2025. The petition on April 4, 2025, had 42,939 votes and required 10,000 signatures for the matter to be handled by the court legally. Now, the support to push the act has become a social movement.
But, what is the petition about? Under current South Korean law, statutory r*pe only applies to minors aged 13 to 16, even though individuals under 18 are legally considered minors. The petitioner argues that this legal loophole has allowed s*xual predators to avoid proper punishment when abusing minors aged 16 to 18 years. The petition asks the law to expand the age range protected under statutory rape laws to include those aged 13 to 19.
The petition demands stronger sentencing for the s*xual predators also. It proposes a minimum sentence of two years in prison for s*xual molestation and a minimum of five years for statutory r*pe involving a minor. Because the petition surpassed the 50,000 signatures within 30 days, it will now be forwarded to the committee in the National Assembly of South Korea. The committee has 90 days to review the petition and decide if it should be sent to the Assembly for discussion and voting.
Speaking about Kim Soo Hyun and his dating scandal with late actress Kim Sae Ron has sparked widespread public discussion about child protection laws and the urgent need for reform. As per reports, Kim Soo Hyun dated Kim Sae Ron when she was just 16 years old, but GOLDMEDALIST (Kim Soo Hyun's agency) has denied such dating rumors. Even Kim Soo Hyun has denied dating Kim Sae Ron when she was a minor.
