Lee Hae-rin is a City Desk reporter at The Korea Times, covering social issues, tourism and taekwondo. She is passionate about speaking up for the rights of minorities, including women, LGBTQ+, people with disabilities and animals as well as discovering the latest makgeolli trend in town. Feel free to reach her at lhr@koreatimes.co.kr.
Korea resumes legislation against deepfake amid growing controversy
Rep. Lee In-seon of the ruling People Power Party holds a press conference on deepfake legislation at the National Assembly in Seoul, Tuesday. Yonhap
By Lee Hae-rin
Rival parties propose harsh penalties for producing, possessing, distributing AI-manipulated porn
Korea's ruling and opposition parties have initiated a National Assembly-level response to the issue of deepfake sexual exploitation crimes. These crimes involve combining and distributing photos of acquaintances or social media users with explicit content.
Rep. Lee In-seon of the People Power Party (PPP), who chairs the National Assembly's Gender Equality and Family Committee, along with secretaries from both the ruling and opposition parties, held a press conference at the National Assembly on Tuesday. They announced measures at the standing committee level to address the deepfake issue.
"Many people are anxious due to the widespread distribution of deepfake videos through Telegram recently … The committee will no longer remain on the sidelines in the face of this serious issue," Lee said.
Lee said the committee will “further strengthen the legal system to prevent the abuse of deepfake technology and push for a revision of the law to protect women and minors."
She also vowed to work with the National Police Agency to establish a specialized counseling center for reporting deepfake-related damage and supporting victims. Additionally, she committed to activating a digital sex crime victim support center to ensure that victims receive prompt legal and psychological assistance.
The Gender Equality and Family Committee plans to hold a general meeting on Aug. 4 to ask urgent questions on pending issues to seek pan-governmental measures.
Proposed amendments to the law will be discussed by a subcommittee on bills, with the goal of having the ruling and opposition parties address agreed-upon legislation as quickly as possible.
The revision of the law is expected to supplement the limitations of the current regulation, which allows punishment only when the purpose of dissemination is proved.
"The current law has flaws that fail to address cases where individuals claim to only view content privately, and it does not punish those who distribute or enjoy the content created," said Rep. Kim Han-kyu of the opposition Democratic Party of Korea (DPK). "We need to implement stricter penalties because these legal loopholes are frequently exploited."
Notably, President Yoon Suk Yeol remarked during his opening address at a Cabinet meeting on Tuesday that deepfake crimes are widespread. He described them as a "clear criminal act that exploits technology under the guise of anonymity" and directed efforts to eradicate digital sex crimes through "thorough understanding and investigation."
PPP Chairman Han Dong-hoon also mentioned the public’s growing concerns about the issue on his social media and vowed the party would take the lead in preventing the side effects of AI through regulations.
Meanwhile, the DPK also decided to form a task force within the party.
DPK lawmakers issued a joint statement explaining they are preparing to revise the law to punish not only the production and dissemination of deepfakes, but also secondary offenses and simple viewing.
Rep. Hwang Myeong-seon, Lee Hae-sik and Han Jeong-ae of the DPK have proposed a revision to punish those who possess, purchase, store and watch deepfake explicit content.
Also, DPK Chairman Lee Jae-myung ordered the party to devise measures to eradicate deepfake crimes.
In addition, other politicians from opposition parties are also voicing their opinions on the issue.
Former Prime Minister Kim Boo-kyum, who resumed his political activities after a broadcast interview Monday, said on his social media, "The government and the ruling party should form a joint task force led by the Ministry of Science and ICT, the Ministry of Interior and Safety, and the National Police Agency. There can be no disagreement between the ruling and opposition parties in eradicating sex crimes."
Meanwhile, Gyeonggi Province Governor Kim Dong-yeon convened a meeting with the Office of Education, the National Police Agency, and the Gyeonggi Provincial Gender Violence Integrated Response Team. They discussed strategies for deleting and monitoring illegal deepfake videos, as well as investigating and providing legal support.