South Korea cracks down on deepfake porn with tougher penalties and regulation

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — South Korea on Wednesday announced a package of steps to limit splash of deepfake porn, saying it would toughen penalties for offenders, expand the use of undercover officers and introduce stricter rules on social media platforms.

Concerns about explicit, non-consensual and digitally manipulated video content grew in South Korea after unverified lists of schools where victims were targeted circulated online in August. Horrified, many girls and women deleted photos and videos from Instagram, Facebook and other social media platforms, while others held rallies calling for stronger action against deepfake porn.

President Yoon Seok-yeol quickly confirmed the rapid spread of explicit deepfake content and ordered officials to “eradicate these digital sexual crimes.” Police are currently carrying out a seven-month special crackdown that will last until March 2025.

The task force said in a statement that the government, in collaboration with Parliament, is reviewing laws to increase penalties for those found guilty of deepfake pornography offences.

He cited a recently changed law that, for the first time, punishes those who possess or watch deepfake porn with up to three years in prison. The maximum penalty for those who produce or distribute deepfake porn content has been increased from five to seven years in prison.

This year, police have detained 506 suspects, 411 of them teenagers.

The task force said it would insist on undercover online investigations even in cases where the victims were adults. Currently, the law only allows such methods if the victims are minors. The government is also planning another audit that will allow authorities to confiscate profits made from the deepfake porn industry.

The task force said it would seek a fine for social media platforms more aggressively when they fail to prevent the spread of deepfakes and other illegal content.

The prevalence of deepfake porn in South Korea is due to a combination of factors including heavy smartphone use, a lack of comprehensive sex and human rights education in schools and inadequate regulation of social media for minors, as well as misogyny and social norms that sexually objectify women, experts say.