By Ezekiel David
South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol is demanding a crackdown on deepfake sex crimes. His call to action follows recent reports highlighting the proliferation of explicit deepfake images and videos of South Korean women on platforms like Telegram.
During a televised cabinet meeting, Yoon condemned these acts, stating, “It’s an exploitation of technology while relying on the protection of anonymity. It’s a clear criminal act.”
The President’s concerns are underscored by a sharp rise in reported cases. South Korean police data reveals a significant increase in online deepfake sex crimes, with 297 cases reported in the first seven months of this year alone, compared to 180 in all of 2022.
Local media investigations, including a viral analysis by the Hankyoreh newspaper, have exposed the sharing of deepfake content targeting female students and military personnel on Telegram channels.
The Korean Teachers and Education Workers Union has called for an investigation into cases involving school students, while the Military Sexual Abuse Victim Support Center has also raised alarms about deepfakes targeting female military personnel.
This issue isn’t new to South Korea. In 2020, the leader of an online sexual blackmail ring operating primarily on Telegram was sentenced to 40 years in prison.
Under South Korean law, creating and distributing sexually explicit deepfakes carries a potential five-year prison sentence and hefty fines.
“It’s an exploitation of technology while relying on the protection of anonymity. It’s a clear criminal act,” Yoon said.
(Source: Reuters)