Gender Equality Ministry Requests Police Investigation into ‘Illegal Overseas Server Filming Sites’

300 Sites Offering Korean-Language Services Targeted
Analysis of Over 30,000 Sites Identified in 8 Years

The police are expected to launch investigations focusing on illegal distribution sites that provide Korean-language services while operating servers overseas, mainly targeting the dissemination of illegal filming materials.

According to the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family on August 30, the Digital Sex Crime Victim Support Group has requested the National Police Agency to investigate operators of illegal websites on charges of violating the Act on Special Cases Concerning the Punishment, etc. of Sexual Crimes, the Act on Promotion of Information and Communications Network Utilization and Information Protection, and the Act on the Protection of Children and Youth against Sexual Offenses. The group also submitted relevant evidence. This is the first time the group has requested a police investigation since its launch in April.

Won Minkyoung, Minister of Gender Equality and Family, is heading to her seat on the 20th at the Government Seoul Office in Jongno-gu, Seoul, to announce measures for integrated responses to illegal sites through in-depth analysis of illegal filming distribution sites. Photo by Yonhap News.

The support group prioritized sites that offer Korean-language services and are thus highly likely to be operated by Korean nationals as the primary targets for investigation requests. These sites reportedly ignored the group's requests to remove illegal filming materials or sexual exploitation content.

Over the past eight years, the support group has identified 34,628 illegal websites while assisting digital sex crime victims. Of these, 300 sites were found to offer Korean-language services. Including those with categories or forums related to content involving Koreans, the number rises to 1,316. The number of videos related to Koreans uploaded on these sites is estimated to reach 2.15 million.

The group is also considering establishing a response system to address illegal sites relocating their servers and to provide valid data to investigative authorities.

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