Amid the growing prevalence of deepfake pornography, a recent study by an international cybersecurity firm revealed that South Korea is the most vulnerable country to this form of sexual exploitation.
According to the American cybersecurity company ‘Security Hero,’ which analyzed 95,820 videos uploaded to deepfake sites between July and August last year, 53% of the individuals depicted in these exploitative materials were S. Korean. In comparison, Americans made up 20% of the victims, showing a significant disparity.
Disturbingly, 8 out of the 10 most targeted individuals were S. Korean singers or K-pop stars. The Wall Street Journal, reporting on this study, suggested that S. Korea is at the epicenter of this global issue.
The period of this analysis, July to August last year, coincided with the rise of generative AI like ChatGPT, making it easier for the general public to create deepfakes.
Despite the seriousness of this situation, South Korea has largely been inactive in addressing the issue. The misuse of deepfake technology for sexual crimes has now escalated to the point where ordinary people, such as female college students, soldiers, teachers, and even elementary and high school students, are being targeted.
A recent survey indicated that over 500 students and teachers have already fallen victim, and the true scale of this problem is likely much larger when considering unreported cases. If the government does not act now, South Korea risks becoming not just the epicenter but the “Capital of such illicit content.
The situation has worsened primarily because S. Korean regulatory framework is riddled with loopholes. Even when someone creates deepfake sexual exploitation videos, they rarely face prison sentences, and simply possessing such content is not punishable. Moreover, to hold someone accountable for creating or possessing deepfakes, there must be proof of intent to distribute, allowing many to easily evade the law.
In contrast, the United Kingdom’s Ministry of Justice announced last April that simply creating deepfake pornography would be punishable, regardless of whether it was distributed. As a result, two major deepfake pornography sites were blocked in the UK. South Korea, facing a similar challenge, urgently needs to adopt equally stringent regulations.
The government also needs to consider regulating social media platforms that serve as channels for distributing deepfakes. Deepfake videos are often shared via Telegram, a high-security platform that makes it easy to evade law enforcement. Recently, perpetrators have even begun trading sexually exploitative content in exchange for cryptocurrency on this platform. Telegram, which profits more from advertising as its user base grows, has essentially turned a blind eye to this activity.
This crisis was entirely foreseeable, yet the S. Korean National Assembly has failed to enact the necessary legislation, drawing criticism that the country has become the ‘epicenter of a global problem.’ It’s time for the lawmakers to roll up their sleeves and take decisive action.
