As deepfake sex crimes surge, Korea's response struggles to keep pace
Korea has strengthened criminal penalties and takedown systems for digital sex crimes, but experts warn that the rise of artificial intelligence (AI) is creating widening gaps between the speed of online abuse and the ability of institutions to stop it. At a forum on the issue, hosted Thursday by Amnesty International Korea, a police officer, a legislative researcher and a media regulator said…
Korea has bolstered legal measures and takedown systems to combat digital sex crimes, but experts caution that advancements in artificial intelligence (AI) are widening the gap between online abuse and institutional response. During a forum on the topic, organized by Amnesty International Korea, officials from the police, legislative research, and media regulation agreed that deepfake technology allows for the creation and dissemination of sexualized images of real individuals with minimal technical expertise, often via overseas platforms beyond Korea's jurisdiction.
"Crimes exploiting new technologies proliferate across society, but the law consistently lags behind," remarked Heo Min-sook, a researcher at the National Assembly Research Service. Police statistics from a 2025 sweep revealed that deepfake-related offenses constituted the most common type of cybersex crime, comprising 1,553 cases, or 35.2 percent.
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