New law in Korea threatens artists

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RockRabbit
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New law in Korea threatens artists

Post by RockRabbit »

Wasn't sure if this should go in art discussion, or tagger forum or anywhere, so if I got the wrong place, a mod can just change it (thank you in advance for cleaning my mess)

Anyways, this is a topic with a serious issue on our hand;
There is a new law in Korea, which states, in it’s most basic form, “Anyone found as a creator, seller, or buyer of materials containing adolescent pornography will be punished as a sexual offender.”
This wouldn't be such a problem if the rules weren't as ambiguous as hell.

More specifically, the law states the following counts
  • Any appearances that could be seen as a teen/child
  • Any type of pornography from explicit sex to being semi-nude (think mini skirts or swimming suits)
  • Any media from illustrations, games, videos, films, etc.
Of course, it is purely up to the investigator to decide if the subject is an adolescent or not, or if the act is porn or not.

This means that no matter how old a character is, if the reviewer decides that the person drawn is a teenager in revealing outfit/provocative pose/etc, the person who drew the art will be sent to jail.
Jail? Sounds like exaggerating? Well no, it is the truth: people who are caught breaking this law can be either sent to prison for several years or fined a 20,000$ equivalent, and they will lose their job in the entertainment industry.
Who’s in danger? Anyone who is a Korean citizen, regardless of where they live. Illustrators and animators in America can be removed with no consequence, and even small freelance artists and game developers can lose their jobs and have their projects revoked.
This a ridiculous law, but it’s been passed and has caused a huge issue in the Korean online community. Any media before September 2012 is safe, but after that the law is in place. Please help Korean artists to stay safe!

I am not sure if this means that art that i already posted can stay, but continuing to post images by korean artists may end up being a problem. (Easiest example I can think of is the Sword Girls art)
So, how are we going to proceed from now on?
  • Your lips, you lies, your lust;; Like the devil's in your hands
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Deoxys
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Re: New law in Korea threatens artists

Post by Deoxys »

Just use a new pen name and ask someone in other country to upload it for you.
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cowboyha
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Re: New law in Korea threatens artists

Post by cowboyha »

Geh... If some artists find it safe to continue their job, we can upload it.

If some artists find it dangerous to continue drawing, we don't have anything to upload from them. So, what's the point?
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Hopeful_Encounter
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Re: New law in Korea threatens artists

Post by Hopeful_Encounter »

Semi-nude? O_o mini skirts and swimsuits are deemed as semi-nude? Okay then........lol. That doesn't make much sense. Although this law is serious, I don't think that someone uploading a picture of a 16 year old looking girl wearing a short mini skirt would be seen as pornographic. I mean, that's what young, REAL girls wear nowadays. Lol. Not to mention all ages of girls wear swimsuits.

I don't honestly think that this law would create consequences for someone who draws children/adolescents, who might be wearing more "mature" outfits. The drawings would have to be of much more serious nature I believe for them to get in trouble. I mean, if a 9 year old was drawn wearing a bondage type outfit, that would be a bit different. Do I think they should be seen as a sexual offender though? No (maybe a little disturbed though lol). That's like saying someone who plays violent video games is actually going to go out and murder. Anyway, It's fiction. In the world of fiction, anyone can look a certain age. If a woman has small boobs and is under a certain height, is she automatically deemed as a child or adolescent, even though she is actually 25? If a person is drawing several pictures of children in provocative poses and/or sexual acts, I'm not sure if they should be deemed as an offender. This has been a popular topic for years. Do the fictional works represent the person's real desires in reality? No one can really say for sure. People could be drawing as a way to repress negative thoughts/feelings or just draw for the heck of it. Who knows? What is seen as explicit may not seem so to another person. However, the person should ABSOLUTELY get in trouble if their artwork is also mixed in with real child pornography. Now that's a problem and they need to get help. That's crossing into reality. Otherwise, depending on the amount of artwork they're drawing and/if they're selling it, I don't have a set opinion on how I feel about that. They should have further background checks if investigators are concerned.

The safety of children is of utmost importance, but some of these laws being passed nowadays regarding the safety of children are becoming more and more confusing/strange. It would certainly be nice if children could just grow up in a safe and kind environment. *sigh*

Anyway, regarding images for Shuu, I don't think you need to worry about that Rabbit-chan. Like cowboyha said, if the Korean artist continues to submit their work, then it's already on the internet and they know there might be consequences. Besides, here on Shuu we don't upload explicit or overly suggestive images. Also, since this is the internet, how do we know for sure that person submitting the artwork is actually Korean? People can certainly lie. Someone on pixiv who present themselves as being Japanese and write in Japanese, may actually be Korean. So, to put it simply, I wouldn't worry about uploading images from Korean artists. Unless a moderator says something, I would say it's okay. ^^

Thank you for informing us about this Rabbit-chan.
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Evangeline Mcdowell
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Re: New law in Korea threatens artists

Post by Evangeline Mcdowell »

*takes pictures of Rockrabbit in bunny suit*

E-shuushuu is an international website and does not fall under korean jurisdiction. At worst, they will block access to e-shuushuu from korea. And as others in this thread have stated. If the artists themselves have chosen to post it on the internet, it is as good as public.
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RockRabbit
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Re: New law in Korea threatens artists

Post by RockRabbit »

yes, the law will not affect shuu;
quite the opposite; WE will affect the artists :c
I'd hate to see an artist go to jail because of the imageboards that have their art;
I'm still not sure if the art already uploaded will be ignored and everything that is created after that will actually be the cause of problems;

but when I think about it, shuu is not the only place that has art by korean artists... so even if i did want to help, i can't really do much on other boorus and such ;n;''

--
@Eva; I am 23, so those won't get you in jail; jsyk xD
  • Your lips, you lies, your lust;; Like the devil's in your hands
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cowboyha
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Re: New law in Korea threatens artists

Post by cowboyha »

RockRabbit wrote:yes, the law will not affect shuu;
quite the opposite; WE will affect the artists :c
I'd hate to see an artist go to jail because of the imageboards that have their art;
I'm still not sure if the art already uploaded will be ignored and everything that is created after that will actually be the cause of problems;

but when I think about it, shuu is not the only place that has art by korean artists... so even if i did want to help, i can't really do much on other boorus and such ;n;''

--
@Eva; I am 23, so those won't get you in jail; jsyk xD
Hm.. That's why I ask what is your point of this thread? What do you want shuushuu to do?

Adult must feel what they have done.
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Crimson_Camelia
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Re: New law in Korea threatens artists

Post by Crimson_Camelia »

@cowboyha I think it is right thing that Rabbit informed us about it.
We can decide together if we need to change something in our rules (for example - forbiding upload images from Korean artists) or is it rather unnecessary, so we don't have to do anything.
Rabbit wanted to know our opinion about it.
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RockRabbit
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Re: New law in Korea threatens artists

Post by RockRabbit »

^that ;v;
and i wanted to spread awareness;
one way or another, boorus might bring much trouble to korean artists;
an artist from DA already changed their name and everything, and even though they claim it is not related to the new law, i am pretty sure it has at least some influence on that decision~
  • Your lips, you lies, your lust;; Like the devil's in your hands
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Iroha Nekomura
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Re: New law in Korea threatens artists

Post by Iroha Nekomura »

That is a stupid law. So what about Sword Girls? I mean lets say you get a competition where you need to draw a character in this or that pose, with this or that clothes, lets say they are a bit ecchi. And Korea will take it as porn, they will be send to jail for participating in a contest? To get some money in game and prizes?
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