South Korean teenagers detained over deepfake sexual images

Activists wearing eye masks, hold posters reading ‘Repeated deepfake sex crimes, the state is an accomplice too’ during a protest against deepfake porn in Seoul on Aug 30, 2024. Last week, 118 cases of suspected deepfake sexual crimes were reported, resulting in the detention of the seven male suspects, police said Sept 3. Police have not yet charged any of those who have been detained. — AFP

SEOUL, South Korea: Authorities in South Korea are investigating a surge of sexually explicit images and video clips that have spread online and shocked the nation, leading police to detain seven male suspects – six of them teenagers – police said on Sept 3.

South Korean authorities began investigating the images and videos late last month after local media reported the spread of the content, which was created using deepfake apps. Young men were said to be stealing social media images from female classmates, teachers and neighbours, and then using them to create the sexually explicit material before circulating them in chat rooms on the messaging app Telegram.