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A public petition calling for the enactment of the so-called "Kim Soo-hyun Prevention Act" has surpassed 50,000 signatures, triggering a formal review by South Korea’s National Assembly.

The petition, launched on March 31, had collected 50,801 signatures as of 4 p.m. on April 7. It urges the government to raise the legal age of consent for statutory rape from under 16 to under 19, following public outrage over allegations that a prominent Hallyu star engaged in grooming behavior with a minor.

Under current law, only minors aged 13 to under 16 are protected by statutory rape provisions. The petitioner argued that this leaves a legal loophole in cases involving individuals just over that age threshold, effectively allowing inappropriate relationships to go unpunished.

Specifically, the petition demands two key changes: raising the protected age range from 13–15 to 13–18, and increasing criminal penalties. It proposes raising the minimum sentence for indecent acts from two years to five years for rape-related offenses, eliminating the option for fines.

According to National Assembly rules, any petition that garners more than 50,000 signatures must be reviewed by the appropriate legislative committee and considered for inclusion in the legislative agenda.

The petition comes amid controversy involving actor Kim Soo-hyun, who has been accused of having had a relationship with actress Kim Sae-ron while she was a minor. Both sides have issued conflicting statements, fueling continued public debate.