Under the new plan, the maximum prison sentence for rape will be increased to 10 years from the current five years. The statute of limitations will also be extended to 10 years from the current 7 years, the agency specified.
In case of sexual harassment, the current jail term of two years will be raised to five years, while the statute of limitations will be up to seven years from the current 5-year period, according to the agency.
The government's decision comes as hundreds of women in South Korea, holding black #MeToo movement's banners, rallied in central Seoul on the International Women's Day. Similar rallies for women's rights took place in the Philippines and Afghanistan.