Seoul: The number of deepfake sex crime videos pending review by a South Korean media regulator has surpassed 17,000 as of August this year, already surpassing last year’s total, data showed on Saturday.
The state-run Korea Communications Standards Commission has received 17,378 cases of sex crime videos using deepfake technology for review from January to August, according to data submitted to Rep. Lee Yeon-hee of the ruling Democratic Party.
This represents a nearly 9.9 percent increase from last year’s total of 15,808 cases, reports Yonhap news agency.
The number of videos sent for review had gradually increased from 1,913 in 2021 to 3,574 in 2022, 7,187 in 2023 and 23,109 in 2024 before falling to 15,808 cases in 2025.
“With the number of reviews of deepfake sexual content already exceeding last year’s annual total, it is essential to closely examine the current situation and response mechanisms,” Rep. Lee said, calling for effective measures to prevent the spread of the content and protect victims.
Last year in November, police apprehended over 3,000 suspects in connection with online sex crimes over the past year, with nearly half of them in their teens.
The National Police Agency (NPA) detected 3,411 online sexual abuse cases between November 2024 and October this year, effectively detaining 3,557 people in total. Of them, 221 were formally arrested.
By type of crime, crimes involving deepfake technology accounted for 35.2 percent of the total, followed by sexual videos of children or adolescents at 34.3 percent, and illegally filmed materials at 19.4 percent.
Nearly half of all suspects, or 1,761, were in their teens, followed by those in their 20s at 1,228, and people in their 30s and 40s at 468 and 169, respectively.
Over 90 percent of suspects behind deepfake crimes were in their teens or 20s, largely due to their familiarity with using digital tools, according to the NPA.
—IANS—
