Korean man convicted of sexual assault in virtual reality

According to local media, a South Korean resident was sentenced to 4 years in prison for creating and distributing sexual content with minors in virtual reality.

As it became known, the 30-year-old offender encouraged underage victims to take photos and videos of their naked bodies and send them to him. According to law enforcement agencies, the South Korean met minors in metaverse, where he concealed his true identity and age. After receiving the desired media, he distributed them in virtual reality.

As for the court sentence, the offender will spend 4 years behind bars and will attend an 80-hour treatment program for sex offenders. In addition, he will be banned from working in any institutions related to children and the disabled in the future.

As a reminder, the South Korean Ministry of Science is currently working on a project on the basic ethical principles of metaverse development. Among the core values for metaverse participants are self-identity, safe pleasure, and sustainable development.

It is worth noting that at the end of May, UAE Minister of Artificial Intelligence Omar Sultan Al Olama called on the virtual community to criminalize crimes in metaverse. According to him, the realistic nature of any meta-universe will allow «terrorizing» people in ways that were previously impossible, so it needs to be controlled and punished, if necessary.