Kim Jong-moon, the first vice minister of government policy coordination, announces new government measures to combat deepfake sex crimes at the Government Complex in Seoul, Wednesday. Yonhap
The government will more effectively crack down on sexual abuse crimes involving deepfakes, by immediately deleting exploitative materials and toughening penalties for offenders, officials said Wednesday.
Aiming to address the challenges posed by these evolving forms of crime, the government outlined measures centered on 10 key tasks across four areas: enforcing strict and effective punishment, holding platforms more accountable, expediting victim protection and providing tailored educational programs to prevent exploitation.
"Since August, deepfake sex crimes have become a serious social issue in Korea, particularly with the illegal distribution of explicit deepfakes on social media and messaging platforms like Telegram," said Kim Jong-moon, the first vice minister of government policy coordination, outlining the government's rationale for introducing comprehensive measures.
These cases often involve young people, including minors and university students, as both victims and offenders.
Also, the damage done has been hard to fully assess, especially given the distribution of the content in private chat rooms such as the ones available on Telegram. The rapid spread and secondary harm inflicted by these exploitative materials are causing significant personal distress and eroding social trust.
In response to the surge in deepfake crimes, the government launched a pan-ministry task force on Aug. 30 to tackle the issue comprehensively.
While the task force prioritizes urgent administrative responses, long-term measures are being crafted through consultations with relevant ministries, expert groups, industry stakeholders and intergovernmental dialogues.
To strengthen investigations into deepfake sex crimes, the government plans to extend the use of undercover operations — currently permitted only for cases involving the illegal filming of minors — to include crimes against adults.
The government's new measures also place a strong emphasis on tougher penalties for offenders, reflecting a recent public survey on digital sex crimes conducted on June 30. The survey found that 45 percent of respondents believe stricter sentencing is the most effective deterrent.
The government has introduced a series of legislative bills aimed at strengthening penalties for the production and distribution of exploitative materials, with several key measures passing the National Assembly on Sept. 26.
Under the revised laws, the minimum sentence for producing and possessing exploitative videos has been raised from five to seven years in prison, and offenders can now face punishment regardless of whether they intend to distribute the material.
Additionally, a new law targets consumers of exploitative content, imposing penalties of up to three years in prison or fines of up to 30 million won ($21,530) for viewing or owning such material.
In cases involving the deepfake exploitation of children and adolescents, particularly where intimidation or coercion is present, sentencing guidelines have been strengthened, with penalties now ranging from a minimum of three years to a maximum of five years, compared to the previous range of one to three years.
To further deter these crimes, the government plans to implement a regulation allowing for the seizure of assets and profits gained from the distribution of false or exploitative content.
Posters detailing support services for digital sex crime victims are displayed outside the Digital Sex Crime Victim Support Center in Jung District, Seoul, Wednesday. Yonhap
The government also plans to enforce a 24-hour deadline for platform operators to swiftly delete exploitative deepfake content to enhance victim protection.
The June 30 public survey on digital sex crimes also revealed that 38 percent of respondents believe victim support in content removal needs strengthening, followed by calls for more robust investigations and legal assistance at 22.3 percent, and support for emotional recovery at 19.6 percent.
In line with these results, the government aims to implement a policy requiring platform operators to preemptively block content flagged for potential exploitation, even if the content's connection to a crime is not immediately evident.
Operators would then be required to refer ambiguous cases to the Korea Communications Standards Commission for further review.
Furthermore, the government also intends to deploy artificial intelligence to detect deepfake content in real time and automate monitoring processes, ensuring prompt removal of harmful materials upon request.
"The government will continue to operate the TF (task force) dedicated to deepfake sex crime response, closely monitoring and enhancing follow-up measures such as victim support, stronger enforcement, legislative progress and budget allocation for these initiatives," Kim said.