The number of sexual abuse cases involving minors stands at 5,104 over the last five years, according to police data. This translates to three cases a day.

Among them, rape and sexual assault were the most frequent offenses, accounting for 94.1 percent, or 4,804, of all cases that occurred from 2013 to July 2017 against children aged under 13, according to the data released by the National Police Agency on Friday.

The second-most common sexual offense against minors was the exchange of sexually explicit or nude pictures of children via electronic communication devices, such as smartphones, at 4.1 percent, followed by incidents involving secretly taking pictures at 1.5 percent.

The number of offenses involving producing or possessing child pornography also increased 72.9 percent, to 1,198 last year from 693 in 2014.

“South Korea should have a higher level of awareness regarding sexual assault cases against children, especially in the education sector, and the police should investigate such cases more thoroughly,” said Rep. Lee Jae-jung of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea.

By Bak Se-hwan (sh@heraldcorp.com)