20 Illegal Copyright Infringement Sites Shut Down for Reckless Distribution of Webtoons and Pornography

Joint Crackdown by Police and Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism
19 Illegal Site Operators Arrested
Site Distributing 100,000 Comics and 450,000 Torrents Also Targeted

Closed copyright infringement site.

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Gwan-joo] Through a joint crackdown by the police and the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, 20 internet sites infringing copyrights, including webtoons, were shut down in large numbers.

The National Police Agency and the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism announced on the 21st that they arrested 19 operators of 9 sites that distributed illegal copyrighted materials using overseas servers last year, and among them, 6 were detained. Along with this, 20 copyright-infringing sites were closed.

The sites closed through the joint crackdown included many sites notorious for copyright infringement. Representative examples include 'OOOO.com,' which posted and distributed about 5,000 comic works and 20,000 obscene materials; 'OOOru2,' which posted about 100,000 comic works and earned advertising revenue; and 'OOOwal,' which illegally distributed about 455,000 copyrighted works using torrents.

The police and the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism previously arrested operators of two sites, and in the case of the 'OOOwal' operator residing in Australia, they issued a 'Red Notice,' the highest level of wanted notice, through Interpol.

The police and the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism plan to continue taking strong measures against illegal distribution of copyrighted materials. Copyright-infringing sites will be continuously monitored through joint operations by local cyber investigation units and the Ministry’s special judicial police, and for gambling sites linked via banner ads, the police will conduct additional investigations to promote comprehensive crackdowns.

In addition, keeping pace with the recent trend of internationalization of copyright infringement crimes, they will actively conduct international cooperative investigations and strengthen cooperation with overseas copyright authorities and global service providers such as Google. Since criminal methods are diversifying, including operating sites in an organized manner by dividing roles such as site developers and content suppliers, or impersonating already closed sites to attract users, they also plan to promote information sharing and educational exchanges.

A National Police Agency official said, “Recently, conditions have been created where copyrighted works such as movies, broadcasts, and books can be consumed at reasonable prices through monthly subscription services,” adding, “We will contribute to the development of the Hallyu content industry through active crackdowns and prompt closure of copyright-infringing sites.”