Court Sentences Teenager to Two Years in Prison for Creating and Distributing Deepfake Content Targeting 11 Individuals, Including Teachers

The court has sentenced a teenager to prison for creating and distributing deepfake sexual exploitation materials targeting 11 individuals, including teachers.

According to the legal community on September 19, the Incheon District Court, at the sentencing hearing on September 16, sentenced high school student A to a prison term of two years (maximum) and 18 months (minimum), and ordered immediate imprisonment.

On the 29th, an emergency press conference condemning deepfake sex crimes, organized by the Seoul Women's Association and the Seoul Women's Association Feminist University Students' Union Club, is being held near Gangnam Station in Seoul with female citizens and university students.

Student A was brought to trial on charges of producing and distributing sexual exploitation materials on 35 occasions targeting 11 people, including five female teachers and several minors, between March 2024 and September 2024.

It was found that A created a deepfake by merging the face of teacher B, who had been A's homeroom teacher in middle school, onto a nude photo and distributed this image on Telegram, posting B's mobile phone number and personal details alongside it.

Additional sexual exploitation material involving teacher C, another victim, was discovered during forensic examination of A’s mobile phone. Teacher C is reported to have trusted A and had given a positive evaluation of A's attitude in class.

The court reportedly took into account A's admission of guilt, remorse, and curiosity associated with immaturity and young age when determining the sentence.

The prosecution had requested a maximum sentence of three years and six months and a minimum of two years for A.

The victimized teachers expressed regret over the ruling, stating that the sentence was too lenient given the number of offenses and the scope of the harm caused. They particularly raised concerns that 'remorse' was considered a mitigating factor in sentencing, even though A never apologized directly to the victims.

Teachers' associations also urged the establishment of sentencing standards reflecting the extent of harm and the repeated nature of such crimes, emphasizing that repeat leniency for deepfake offenses solely due to the offender’s minor status should not be allowed to continue.

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