28-8-2024 (SEOUL) South Korean authorities are stepping up efforts to combat the growing menace of deepfake pornography, as President Yoon Suk Yeol calls for a thorough investigation into digital sex crimes involving artificially generated explicit content.
The issue has come to the forefront of national attention following the discovery of a Telegram chatroom where sexually explicit images featuring digitally altered faces of female students from Inha University were being shared. This revelation has sparked widespread concern and prompted swift action from various government agencies.
“Recently, deepfake videos targeting an unspecified number of people have circulated rapidly on social media,” President Yoon stated during a Cabinet meeting. “Anyone can be a victim of such digital sex crimes. I urge all authorities involved to thoroughly investigate and identify such crimes while also providing proper education measures to establish a healthy digital culture.”
The Korea Communications Standards Commission has announced plans to create a dedicated reporting channel for deepfake pornographic content on its website. The commission is also doubling its monitoring personnel and establishing a direct communication line with Telegram to facilitate quicker responses to such incidents.
Prime Minister Han Duck-soo emphasised the gravity of the situation, stating, “We must firmly crack down on digital crimes, at the same level as the government’s current crackdown on illegal drugs.” He called for collaborative efforts between the government, media, and civil society to prevent the misuse of technological advancements.
The Ministry of Education has instructed all 17 education offices across the country to report any cases related to deepfake pornographic content in schools directly to the ministry. Local education offices are working in cooperation with the Korean National Police Agency (KNPA) to identify and address such cases.
The KNPA has launched a seven-month special crackdown on digital sex crimes involving deepfakes. They will focus on thoroughly tracking and arresting perpetrators involved in the production and distribution of deepfake pornography. The police agency reported that from January to July this year, 297 cases of deepfake sexual exploitation crimes were reported, with 73.6% of the identified suspects being minors.
The main opposition Democratic Party of Korea has announced plans to form a task force to respond to deepfake sex crimes and introduce regulations to strengthen punishment for perpetrators. Party leader Lee Jae-myung has called for “measures to protect the deepfake sex crime victims and stronger penalties for deepfake sexual content creators and distributors.”
