Illegal Manga Site Operator Naturalized in Japan Extradited to Korea Through Criminal Extradition

First Extradition of a Japanese National Since Korea-Japan Treaty Signed
Over 1,400 Illegal Uploads Including "Slam Dunk" and "One Piece"

On June 11, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism announced that the Ministry of Justice had extradited from Japan a 37-year-old operator of an illegal manga sharing website, referred to as A, through a criminal extradition process. This marks the first case in which a Japanese national has been extradited to Korea since the signing of the Korea-Japan Extradition Treaty in 2002.

According to authorities, A left for Japan in 2017 and became a naturalized Japanese citizen in 2022. From 2015 to 2022, A operated an illegal manga sharing website, allegedly uploading more than 1,400 copyrighted works—including "Slam Dunk," "One Piece," and "Detective Conan"—without authorization, and profiting from illegal gambling site advertisements.

The damage caused by illegal distribution of webtoons continues to escalate. The scale of infringement on the legitimate market increased from 446.5 billion won in 2023 to 457.1 billion won in 2024, and the volume of illegal overseas distribution reached 328 million cases last year, a 10.7% increase compared to the previous year.

Since May, the government has implemented an emergency blocking system targeting illegal overseas server sites. Starting in August, a punitive damages system will be introduced, allowing up to five times the amount of damages for intentional infringement, as well as raising criminal penalties to a maximum of seven years in prison or a fine of up to 100 million won.

Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Choi Hwi-young stated, "This case demonstrates the importance of cooperation between relevant agencies and international collaboration in responding to online copyright crimes."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.