배재미디어센터

 

In August, an unprecedented incident occurred—or rather, it is still occurring. I’m talking about the "deepfake crime" that has instilled fear and terror in women across South Korea. Numerous middle and high schools nationwide were included on the list of schools affected by this crime. According to a survey conducted by the Korean Teachers and Education Workers Union on August 27th and 28th targeting kindergartens, elementary, middle, and high schools across the country, approximately 2,500 reports were received. This is an unimaginable number.

 

So, what exactly is deepfake, and why have women in South Korea been filled with anger and fear? To briefly explain, deepfake is a form of digital manipulation technology that can create highly realistic fake videos or images, often used maliciously. This ongoing digital sex crime demands your attention and strong measures to prevent further harm.

 

What is Deepfake Crime?

The term "deepfake crime" is a combination of "deep learning," a subset of artificial intelligence, and the word "fake." It refers to the technology where AI familiarizes itself with specific photos or voices of individuals and then creates synthetic content that looks or sounds real (National Intelligence Service, NIS). The perpetrators often open chat rooms on platforms like Telegram, operating in ways that conceal their identities. They capture photos of victims from social media platforms like Instagram, Facebook, KakaoTalk, and school information sites, and then maliciously superimpose these images onto inappropriate photos or videos. The synthetic content is then distributed in Telegram chat rooms or shared within their communities, subjecting the victims to public humiliation through this vicious method.

 

 

What is the Main Age Group and Gender of Deepfake Criminals?

The majority of perpetrators are male. What's more alarming is that many of the offenders are teenagers.

As the controversy grew, certain schools faced criticism for issuing guidelines exclusively to female students, instructing them to delete their photos from social media while excluding male students from this guidance. The key point that needs to be clarified here is that deepfake crimes are not issues that can be resolved by simply having potential female victims be more cautious. Rather, it is a societal problem that requires a shift in awareness among many men.

 

On the 26th, the South Korean National Assembly passed a bill to punish deepfake crimes. The deepfake-related bills passed that day include three amendments: the Act on Special Cases Concerning the Punishment of Sexual Crimes (Sexual Violence Punishment Act), the Act on the Protection of Children and Youth from Sexual Exploitation (Youth Protection Act), and the Act on the Prevention of Sexual Violence and Protection of Victims (Sexual Violence Prevention Act). Additionally, the act of viewing deepfake sexual exploitation material has now also become punishable. Under the revised Sexual Violence Punishment Act, those who possess, purchase, store, or view illegal synthetic sexual exploitation material can be sentenced to up to three years in prison or fined up to 30 million won.

 

The "Knowingly" Clause by Kim Yong-min of the National Assembly's Legislation and Judiciary Committee

A member of the Democratic Party and the National Assembly's Legislation and Judiciary Committee expressed concern that people could be punished for watching videos without knowing that they contained deepfake sexual exploitation material. As a result, he added the phrase "knowingly" to the legislation; however, this sparked fears that offenders might unjustly avoid punishment by claiming they were unaware the content was deepfake sexual exploitation material. On the day of the plenary session, Choo Mi-Ae, a Democratic Party lawmaker, proposed an amendment to remove the word "knowingly," and this revised bill was passed.

There is a bitter truth: many politicians, as well as the general public, have long held a complacent attitude toward digital sex crimes. This has drawn criticism from many women's rights groups and the public. Every effort must now be made to swiftly enact all necessary laws to ensure that no more women fall victim to such crimes. Additionally, since many of the main offenders are male minors, it is crucial to impose strict punishments to prevent them from growing into more serious offenders in the future. I hope that public awareness of human rights will continue to grow.