South Korea: Police launch large-scale crackdown on sex crimes committed using deepfake technology

The National Police Agency (KLPD) reports that during the seven-month campaign, which starts on Wednesday, the police will aggressively tackle those who produce and publish such images, especially those of children and teenagers.

According to the police department, 297 cases of deepfake sexual exploitation were reported across the country from January to July. Of the 178 accused, 73.6 percent, or 113 people, were teenagers.

Political parties and human rights organizations have also called for tougher sentences and active investigations.

“Concerns are growing as the number of members in fake porn chat rooms on Telegram is estimated to be around 220,000,” said Son Seol, co-chair of the opposition Progressive Party’s small working group, commenting on the issue.

The revelation of these chat rooms has fueled public fear after many of them on Telegram were suspected of creating and distributing fake and fabricated pornographic material of ordinary women. The victims included minors, university students, teachers and even female military officers.

The Sexual Assault Counseling Center, which is affiliated with the Korea Military Human Rights Center, a human rights organization for soldiers, has called on the Ministry of Defense to track down and severely punish those involved in deepfake crimes targeting female soldiers.

“The perpetrators used images of female soldiers in uniform solely to treat them as sexual objects,” the advisory centre added, comparing the crime to the Japanese military’s sexual slavery.

Meanwhile, Women Link, a feminist group, condemned the Yoon Suk-yeol government’s attempts to abolish the Ministry of Gender Affairs and urged the government to come up with a comprehensive plan to address gender discrimination and structural violence against women in the country.

Source: Yonhap