North African operator busted in global crackdown on $14 mil. K-content piracy ring
In a major blow to illegal digital distribution networks, Korea’s Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, in tandem with the Korean National Police Agency, Interpol, and industry giant Naver Webtoon, succeeded in dismantling three major piracy websites operating out of North Africa. The joint operation resulted in the arrest of a primary site operator known by the alias "DEV" and the complete…
In a significant victory against illicit digital distribution, the government of South Korea, along with law enforcement agencies Interpol and the Korean National Police Agency, successfully dismantled a major piracy network operating out of North Africa. The operation culminated in the arrest of the principal website operator, known as DEV, and the permanent closure of the illegal portals.
The seized network, which had been in operation since July 2024, comprised webtoon and web novel piracy sites as well as a third hub that aggregated content from both sources. Authorities announced that the crime ring had illicitly copied and disseminated 83,688 copyrighted works, including 30,926 webtoons and 5,202 web novels. Among the stolen intellectual property were highly popular titles like "The Trauma Code."
The majority of the pirated material, accounting for roughly 57 percent, were Korean cultural exports, referred to as K-content. The ministry estimates that these three platforms alone caused over 20 billion won, equivalent to approximately $14.2 million, in annual financial losses to the creative industry.
Written by urgent.news from The Korea Times's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
