[Newsmaker] Telegram outrage spills over to Korean ‘Lolita’ game characters

Outrage over the Telegram sexual abuse ring is spilling over to children’s online games that depict preadolescent characters in sexualized ways.

An online Cheong Wa Dae petition posted Tuesday raised alarm over video games in which characters who physically resemble children wear revealing costumes. This follows the news that at least 58 women and 16 underage girls were sexually abused over several months so the abusers could produce videos and sell them in Telegram chat rooms.

“Please restrict characters with facial looks of minors, wearing school uniforms and looking (like prepubescent children),” the petition said.

Though the petition mentioned Nexon’s Closers and Smilegate’s Soulworker, both games are for players aged 15 and above. The names of both games have since been removed from the petition. 

According to the Game Rating and Administration Committee, which assigns ratings to games, games for children 12 and over are limited to “almost no sexual content” but can show certain body parts including the shoulders, waist and legs.

As of 5 p.m. Sunday, 5,688 people had signed the petition.

By Kim Byung-wook (kbw@heraldcorp.com)