SEOUL — South Korea’s national police have announced a significant investment of nearly US$7 million over the next three years to tackle the growing threat of deepfakes, voice cloning, and other forms of digital fraud. This move follows the discovery of a network of Telegram chatrooms where AI-generated deepfake pornography featuring female students and staff from schools and universities was being shared, sparking public outrage.
The National Police Agency will allocate 2.7 billion won (S$2.6 million) annually until 2027 to develop deep-learning technology capable of detecting fabricated digital content. Additionally, hundreds of thousands of dollars will be invested in upgrading current software used to monitor deepfake videos and other AI-generated material.
South Korea has faced a significant rise in cases of sexual cyber-violence, with incidents increasing elevenfold since 2018. Despite this surge, prosecution rates remain low, with only 16 people arrested and prosecuted out of 793 reported deepfake crimes between 2021 and July 2024.
President Yoon Suk-yeol has expressed serious concern about the deepfake crisis, particularly its impact on women, calling it a crime that threatens social harmony. He has urged ministries to take decisive action. In response to the crisis, 84 women’s organizations issued a joint statement blaming “structural gender discrimination” and calling for gender equality as the solution to the deepfake problem.