중국 사이버 폭력의 형사법적 규제에 관한 연구 = A Study on the Criminal Law Regulation of Cyber Violence Crime in China

다국어 초록 (Multilingual Abstract)

Based on existing academic research, the Chinese criminal law community has not yet reached a unified consensus regarding the concept, characteristics, and manifestations of cyberbullying. It should be clarified that cyberbullying refers to any act committed by individuals or entities through internet platforms or systems against individuals or groups of individuals, including but not limited to insults, defamation, disclosure of personal information, harassment, and other behaviors that infringe upon victims 'personal rights and interests, thereby disrupting the order of cyberspace. From this definition, it is evident that online presence is a formal characteristic of cyberbullying, encompassing sub-characteristics such as rapid dissemination and wide reach; diversity of methods constitutes its core feature; and severity of consequences represents its essential characteristic. The manifestations of cyberbullying include insults, defamation, infringement of personal information, cyber threats, and other behaviors that utilize internet platforms or systems to harm others' personal rights and interests, severely disrupting the order of cyberspace.
At present, the governance of cyberbullying has largely established a framework primarily based on preliminary legal measures supplemented by criminal law. The necessity for criminal legislation stems from three key factors: the significant harm caused by cyberbullying, the limited effectiveness of existing regulatory frameworks, and strong public support. In practice, criminal law typically regulates verbal cyberbullying through offenses such as insult and defamation, human flesh search-based cyberbullying via the crime of infringing citizens' personal information, malicious marketing campaigns through crimes like illegal use of information networks, and other forms of cyberbullying through offenses such as public disorder.
While criminal legislation has achieved certain successes in regulating cyberbullying, it must be acknowledged that significant challenges persist in this process. Firstly, at the substantive level, although offenses such as insult, defamation, infringement of citizens' personal information, and illegal use of information networks are employed to address cyberbullying, these provisions often fail to fully align with its actual manifestations. Specifically,insult and defamation crimes inadequately cover verbal cyberbullying; the crime of infringing on personal information fails to adequately address human flesh search-based cyberbullying; illegal use of information networks proves insufficient for malicious marketing-driven cyberbullying; and other statutory provisions struggle to comprehensively address specific forms of cyberbullying. Secondly, inconsistent sentencing across similar cases is prevalent. While verbal, human flesh search, and malicious marketing cyberbullying are typically prosecuted under respective offenses, some cases involve application of unrelated charges. Thirdly, criminal liability frameworks differ markedly between cyberbullying and conventional crimes: whereas ordinary offenses—whether natural or statutory—are precisely defined for prosecution, cyberbullying exhibits a lack of clear legal accountability. Finally, procedural barriers exist, particularly in initiating private prosecutions and transitioning them to public prosecution.
Given the current context, a prudent approach would be to draw on legislative experiences from countries such as Germany and Japan by establishing a separate crime of cyberbullying. Building upon this, it is essential to clarify that the protected legal interests under this crime are dual: the victim's personal rights and the order of cyberspace. The offense only constitutes cyberbullying when both interests are violated simultaneously; infringement of either alone does not qualify as such. In determining liability for cyberbullying, the principle of focusing on principal offenders should prevail, penalizing only the primary perpetrators and other active participants. Those who incite or assist these actors shall be prosecuted as accomplices or aiding offenders. Public prosecution procedures must be applied to cyberbullying, as it differs fundamentally from other forms of defamation or insult crimes due to its rapid dissemination and wide reach—potentially causing repeated reputational harm, mental distress, suicide attempts, or self-harm. Therefore, granting victims proactive criminal prosecution authority would be unreasonable. The relationship between cyberbullying and other offenses requires comprehensive evaluation based on factors such as interconnections and concurrent offenses. If an act violates both the crime of cyberbullying and other offenses, the principle of imagined concurrence applies, and it shall be treated as a serious offense; if an act violates both the crime of cyberbullying and other offenses with overlapping or intersecting elements between them, the principle of statutory concurrence applies, and it shall be treated as cyberbullying; if the cyberbullying act constitutes a means or method for another offense, it is considered an associated offense—although it meets the criteria for both cyberbullying and the other offense, it shall be punished solely under the latter.

목차 (Table of Contents)

• (Abstract)
• 제1장 서론 1
• 제1절 연구목적 1
• 제2절 연구방법과 논문구성 4
• Ⅰ. 연구방법 4
• Ⅱ. 논문구성 5
• 제2장 사이버 폭력의 개념과 특징 7
• 제1절 사이버 폭력의 개념 7
• Ⅰ. 중국 사이버 폭력의 개념 7
• Ⅱ. 세계 각국의 사이버 폭력의 개념 11
• Ⅲ. 검토 13
• 제2절 사이버 폭력의 특징 16
• Ⅰ. 중국 사이버 폭력의 특징 16
• Ⅱ. 세계 각국의 사이버 폭력의 특징 17
• Ⅲ. 검토 17
• 제3절 사이버 폭력의 행위양태 19
• Ⅰ. 중국 사이버 폭력의 행위양태 19
• Ⅱ. 각국의 사이버 폭력의 행위양태 20
• Ⅲ. 검토 22
• 제3장 사이버 폭력의 형사법적 규제 필요성과 현황 24
• 제1절 사이버 폭력의 형사법적 규제의 필요성 24
• Ⅰ. 사이버 폭력의 높은 사회유해성 24
• Ⅱ. 선행 법률규제의 실효성 부족 26
• Ⅲ. 강력한 사회적 여론의지지 27
• 제2절 사이버 폭력에 대한 형사법적 규제의 현황 29
• Ⅰ. 중국의 사이버 폭력에 대한 형사법적 규제의 현황 29
• 1. 중국 형법의 사이버 폭력 대응 입장의 변천 과정 29
• 2. 중국 형법의 사이버 폭력 적용 죄명 34
• Ⅱ. 해외 국가의 사이버 폭력에 대한 형사법적 규제의 현황 40
• 1. 해외 국가 형법이 사이버 폭력에 대응하는 기본 입장 40
• 2. 해외 국가 형법의 사이버 폭력에 대한 적용 죄명 41
• 제4장 중국 사이버 폭력의 형사법적 규제의 문제점 44
• 제1절 실체법적 측면의 문제점 44
• Ⅰ. 적용 죄명과 사이버 폭력의 부정합성 44
• Ⅱ. 동일 사안에 대한 상이한 판결 현상 48
• Ⅲ. 다수의 범죄관여자 처벌에서의 공백 현상 50
• 제2절 절차법적 측면의 문제점 52
• Ⅰ. 사이버 폭력에 대한 자소(自訴)의 어려움 52
• Ⅱ. 사이버 폭력의 자소에서 공소로 전환의 어려움 54
• 제5장 중국 사이버 폭력의 형법적 규제의 개선방안 57
• 제1절 실체법적 측면의 개선방안 57
• I. 사이버폭력죄 규정의 신설 57
• Ⅱ. 사이버 폭력범죄의 범죄성립요건 통일 60
• Ⅲ. 범죄주체의 정확한 획정과 처벌 63
• Ⅳ. 사이버폭력죄와 기타 구성요건 간의 적용관계 정립 65
• 제2절 절차법적 측면의 개선방안 67
• 제6장 결론 70
• 참고 문헌 75