Korea, Thailand team up to bust digital pirates
In a quiet residential neighborhood in Chiang Mai, Thailand, behind closed doors and high-speed internet connections, an illicit digital pipeline was quietly siphoning millions of dollars away from Korea’s entertainment industry. For nearly a decade, a sophisticated piracy ring operated out of Thailand and Malaysia, hijacking live feeds of Korean television networks, K-pop broadcasts, and…
In a residential area of Chiang Mai, Thailand, a digital piracy operation was quietly undermining South Korea's entertainment sector. Over a decade, a complex network based in Thailand and Malaysia was stealing live broadcasts of Korean TV shows, K-pop music, and popular dramas, then distributing these illegally to viewers in Southeast Asia.
The scale of the damage was estimated at more than 35 billion won (approximately $26 million) when authorities finally intervened. To combat such operations, Korea's Ministry of Culture, Sports, and Tourism joined forces with the Central Investigation Bureau of the Royal Thai Police on Tuesday. This agreement created formal lines of communication for exchanging real-time intelligence, conducting synchronous raids, and enforcing laws across borders.
The partnership followed a massive international operation in February, during which Korean and Southeast Asian law enforcement worked together to dismantle a similar piracy ring.
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.
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- Korea, Thailand team up to bust digital pirates koreatimes.co.kr
