Investment Manager's Top Analysis: South Korea's President Calls for Action Against Deepfake Sex Crimes
By Hyunsu Yim
SEOUL (Multibagger) - In a recent development, South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol has urged authorities to investigate digital sex crimes, particularly involving deepfake images and videos of South Korean women circulating in Telegram chatrooms. This comes following reports by domestic media and the arrest of Telegram's founder, Pavel Durov, in a French probe related to child pornography, drug trafficking, and fraud on the encrypted messaging app.
The Korea Communications Standards Commission is set to discuss measures to combat sexually explicit deepfakes in a meeting scheduled for Wednesday. President Yoon emphasized the seriousness of these crimes during a televised cabinet meeting, calling them clear criminal acts that exploit technology and anonymity.
According to South Korean police, cases of online deepfake sex crimes have been on the rise, with 297 reported in the first seven months of this year compared to 180 last year. The majority of the accused individuals were teenagers and people in their 20s.
Local media reports have highlighted the presence of deepfakes targeting female students, including university, high school, and middle school students, in Telegram channels. The Korean Teachers and Education Workers Union has urged the education ministry to investigate cases involving school students as victims of sexual deepfakes.
Furthermore, deepfakes targeting female military personnel have also been discovered in Telegram chatrooms, as reported by the Military Sexual Abuse Victim Support Center.
Telegram's reputation in South Korea has been marred by previous incidents, such as the operation of an online sexual blackmail ring within the app's chatrooms. In 2020, the leader of the ring, Cho Ju-bin, was sentenced to 40 years in prison for blackmailing women, including teenagers, into sending degrading and violent sexual imagery.
It is important to note that creating and distributing sexually explicit deepfakes is punishable by law in South Korea, with penalties including up to five years in prison or a fine of 50 million won ($37,500) under the Sexual Violence Prevention and Victims Protection Act.
This concerning trend highlights the need for stricter measures to combat digital sex crimes and protect individuals, especially vulnerable groups like students and military personnel. Investors should monitor developments in this area as they may have broader societal and legal implications.