[Lee Jae-min] Lost in the regulatory jungle

From the perspective of regulators, one common way of ensuring compliance with the law is to stipulate severe punishment in case of a violation, and to make provisions broad enough to encompass as many offenses as possible.

Apparently, this approach has shaped the Korean legal and regulatory regime for several decades.

The result is a proliferation of statutes carrying criminal penalties, many of which are vaguely and broadly defined — a systemic phenomenon now widely called "overcriminalization ...