Korea Resumes Law on Deepfake Amid Growing Controversy

Rep. Lee In-seon of the ruling People Power Party holds a press conference on deepfake legislation at the National Assembly in Seoul on Tuesday. Yonhap

Rival parties propose tough penalties for producing, possessing and distributing AI-manipulated porn

By Lee Hae-rin

Korea’s ruling and opposition parties have initiated a response at the National Assembly level on the issue of deepfake sexual exploitation crimes. These crimes involve combining and distributing photos of acquaintances or social media users with explicit content.

Rep. Lee In-seon of the People Power Party (PPP), who chairs the National Assembly’s Gender Equality and Family Committee, along with secretaries from both the ruling and opposition parties, held a press conference in the National Assembly on Tuesday. They announced measures at the standing committee level to address the deepfake issue.

“Many people are concerned about the widespread distribution of deepfake videos via Telegram recently… The committee will no longer sit on the sidelines in the face of this serious problem,” Lee said.

Lee said the committee will “further strengthen the legal system to prevent the misuse of deepfake technology and push for a revision of the law to protect women and minors.”

She also pledged to work with the National Police Agency to establish a specialist advice centre for reporting deepfake-related harm and supporting victims, and to activate a digital victim support centre for sexual offences to ensure victims receive prompt legal and psychological help.

The Commission on Gender Equality and Family plans to hold a general meeting on August 4 to ask urgent questions on outstanding issues, with a view to achieving pan-governmental measures.

Proposed amendments to the law are discussed by a subcommittee on legislative proposals. The aim is to have the governing and opposition parties consider the agreed legislation as quickly as possible.

The revision of the law is expected to supplement the restrictions of the current regulation, which provides for penalties only if the purpose of the distribution is proven.

“The current law has flaws that do not address cases where individuals claim to only view private content, and does not punish those who distribute or enjoy the created content,” said Rep. Kim Han-kyu of the opposition Democratic Party of Korea (DPK). “We need to implement stricter punishments because these legal loopholes are often exploited.”

President Yoon Suk Yeol noted that deepfake crimes are widespread during his opening remarks at a cabinet meeting on Tuesday. He described them as a “clear criminal act that exploits technology under the guise of anonymity” and urged efforts to eradicate digital sex crimes through “thorough understanding and investigation.”

PPP Chairman Han Dong-hoon also indicated on social media that the public is increasingly concerned about this issue. He promised that the party would take the lead in preventing the side effects of AI through regulations.

Meanwhile, the DPK also decided to set up a task force within the party.

DPK lawmakers issued a joint statement explaining that they are preparing a revision of the law to punish not only the production and distribution of deepfakes, but also secondary offenses and simply viewing them.

Reps. Hwang Myeong-seon, Lee Hae-sik and Han Jeong-ae of the DPRK have proposed a revision to punish those who possess, purchase, store and view explicit deepfake content.

In addition, DPK Chairman Lee Jae-myung ordered the party to take measures to eradicate deepfake crimes.

Other politicians from opposition parties also expressed their views on the issue.

Former Prime Minister Kim Boo-kyum, who resumed his political activities after a broadcast interview on Monday, said on his social media: “The government and the ruling party should form a joint task force led by the Ministry of Science and ICT, the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Security and the National Police Agency. There can be no disagreement between the ruling and opposition parties on eradicating sexual crimes.”

Meanwhile, Gyeonggi Province Governor Kim Dong-yeon convened a meeting with the Office of Education, the National Police Agency and the Gyeonggi Provincial Gender Violence Integrated Response Team. They discussed strategies for removing and monitoring illegal deepfake videos, as well as investigating and providing legal support.