Police are investigating an event at KINTEX that displayed child pornography along with “children’s lunch sets”.

On Children’s Day, the police were dispatched to an exhibition hall in Ilsan KINTEX, Gyeonggi Province, where panels reminiscent of child sexual exploitation materials were displayed. According to Ilsan West Police Station, a report was received on the day that panels depicting child pornography were on display at a comic and animation event at KINTEX. Upon arriving at the scene, the police confirmed the presence of panels depicting underage characters from a specific game in a sexual manner in a separate space accessible only to adults. Initially reported for violation of the Act on the Protection of Children and Juveniles against Sexual Violence, the police determined that the incident occurred in an adult-targeted exhibition space and took temporary measures such as covering the panels. The current Act on the Protection of Children and Juveniles against Sexual Violence imposes penalties for the production of obscene materials involving minors. Following an on-site investigation, the police plan to determine if the displayed images constitute child pornography. Subsequently, photos of the panels from the exhibition were shared on social media, with the majority expressing concerns about displaying obscene materials of underage characters. The organizers later issued a statement on their official social media, explaining that the ‘Adults Only Area’ requiring thorough adult verification through identification for entry was a space not visible from the outside where the reported exhibition was located, and that the legal provisions of the Act do not apply to physical analog media such as goods and magazines sold at the event. However, they acknowledged the tarnishing of the event’s image due to police intervention and the psychological distress of participating artists, stating that the ‘Adults Only Area’ would not be operational until a protective environment for the artists is established.