South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol has called for thorough investigations into digital sex crimes following reports of sexually explicit deepfake images and videos of South Korean women being shared on Telegram chatrooms. This comes as Telegram founder Pavel Durov was arrested in France as part of an investigation into child pornography, drug trafficking, and fraud on the messaging app. The Korea Communications Standards Commission plans to discuss measures to combat sexually explicit deepfakes.
Yoon condemned these acts as clear criminal acts that exploit technology and rely on anonymity. South Korean police have reported a significant increase in online deepfake sex crimes, with 297 cases reported in the first seven months of the year, up from 180 the previous year. Most of the accused are teenagers and people in their 20s.
Reports from local media outlets have highlighted the sharing of sexually explicit deepfakes of female university and high school students in Telegram chatrooms. The Korean Teachers and Education Workers Union has called on the education ministry to investigate cases where school students have been targeted. The Military Sexual Abuse Victim Support Center has also reported deepfakes targeting female military personnel in Telegram chatrooms.
Telegram’s reputation in South Korea has been tarnished due to its association with online sexual blackmail rings. In 2020, the leader of one such ring was sentenced to 40 years in prison for blackmailing women, including teenagers, into sending degrading sexual imagery. Making sexually explicit deepfakes with the intent to distribute them is punishable by five years in prison or a fine under South Korea’s Sexual Violence Prevention and Victims Protection Act.
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