Sunfull movement marks 19th year with push against AI deepfakes
Summary
Anti-cyberbullying campaigners, lawmakers and foreign diplomats gathered in central Seoul on Wednesday to launch a nationwide campaign against AI deepfakes and malicious online comments as Korea’s Sunfull movement marked its 19th anniversary. Organizers said the threat has shifted from cyberbullying to AI-generated deepfakes, hate speech and group bullying. The event also introduced the first class of 2026 Sunfull Human Rights Ambassadors and ended with a K-Respect declaration.
Key Facts
- Founded in 2007 in memory of people who died after being targeted by cyberbullying, the Sunfull movement takes its name from a Korean word for a kind reply.
- The ceremony was held at The Grand Lotte Seoul.
- The foundation said the movement has grown to 849,000 members and 10 million kind comments in total.
- All 299 members of the previous 21st National Assembly signed Sunfull’s political declaration against malicious online comments.
- Thirty-four incumbent lawmakers from both parties sit on the National Assembly Sunfull Committee.
Sunfull Foundation Chairman Min Byoung-chul, front row fourth from left, poses with lawmakers, foreign diplomats and newly appointed Sunfull ambassadors during the ceremony marking the 19th anniversary of the Sunfull movement at Lotte Hotel Seoul, Wednesday. Courtesy of Sunfull Foundation
Anti-cyberbullying campaigners, lawmakers and foreign diplomats gathered in central Seoul on Wednesday to declare a nationwide campaign against artificial intelligence (AI) deepfakes and malicious online comments, as Korea's Sunfull movement marked its 19th anniversary.
"Malicious online comments have killed so many people," Min Byoung-chul, Sunfull Foundation's chairman, said during the ceremony held at The Grand Lotte Seoul. "If we can practice one day of leaving kind messages, it will save many."
Founded in 2007 in memory of people who died after being targeted by cyberbullying, the movement took its name from the Korean word for a kind reply, and the foundation romanized it as "sunfull," a play on a cyber world full of sunshine.
Organizers said the nature of the threat has changed. AI-generated deepfakes, hate speech and group bullying now amount to a "national danger" to personal dignity, and Wednesday's declaration was labeled as a starting point for Korea to set a global standard on digital rights in the AI era.
The event named its first class of 2026 Sunfull Human Rights Ambassadors: broadcasters Seo Kyung-seok and Kim Yong-man, chef Austin Kang, and Gabi and Sriya of the girl group BLACKSWAN, together with student, teacher and campaign representatives and the Korea Internet Corporations Association.
"Malicious comments are very damaging. A small number of those hate-mongers are destroying our common cyberspace," Kim said. "They should be punished and kicked out."
Participants watched a documentary on cyberbullying cases and heard entertainers and other public figures describe abuse they had suffered from.
They then read a "K-Respect" declaration pledging to reject deepfakes, malicious comments, hate speech and bullying, and to build a society in which people with differences are respected.
"There are many workers from Asian countries in Korea. We strongly hope their rights will also be well protected," Antonio de Sa Benevides, Timor-Leste's ambassador to Korea, told The Korea Times. He was among the foreign diplomats from 19 countries who attended the event to show their support.
Since the campaign began, the movement has drawn 849,000 members, and they themselves practiced leaving kind comments online — the foundation said the number of comments reaches 10 million in total.
The movement has also drawn support from lawmakers. All 299 members of the previous 21st National Assembly signed its political declaration against malicious online comments, and 34 incumbent lawmakers from both parties are sitting on the National Assembly Sunfull Committee.
"The National Assembly should lead in fighting deepfakes and malicious comments to clean up our cyberspace," said Rep. Kim Hee-jung of the People Power Party, who serves as chairperson of the National Assembly's Education Committee and a co-chairperson of the event.
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