Major Korean webtoon, web novel pirate site shut down

Authorities have confiscated 120 million won (S$116,917) in illegal proceeds the operator earned through digital advertising, officials said. - Photo: Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism

SEOUL: The South Korean authorities shut down Agitoon, a major piracy platform of Korean webtoons and web novels, and arrested its operator on charges of copyright infringement, officials announced on Tuesday (Aug 27).

According to the Daejeon District Public Prosecutors’ Office, which led the crackdown with the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, Agitoon, at two different sites, shared unauthorised copies of over 2.5 million web fiction titles and 740,000 webtoon series.