Illegal Sites Threatening the K-Content Industry... Joint Crackdown with Interpol

Ministry of Culture and Police Agency to Intensively Crack Down on Illegal Websites Until December

The Copyright Crime Scientific Investigation Unit of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Economic Crime Investigation Division of the National Police Agency's Investigation Bureau announced on the 19th that they will crack down on illegal copyright infringement sites in cooperation with the International Criminal Police Organization (Interpol) until the end of December.

This joint crackdown is not the first. Since 2018, they have cracked down on 211 sites and arrested ninety-nine individuals. Last year, operators of seven movie, video, and webtoon sites were apprehended. In cooperation with Indonesian investigative agencies, they also achieved the simultaneous arrest and detention of illegal IPTV service operators in both countries.

This year, the focus is on intensive crackdowns on large-scale illegal sites that require meticulous response. A Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism official explained, "The goal is to shut down large sites that evade law enforcement by hosting servers overseas and posting dozens of banner ads promoting illegal gambling and adult content," adding, "Each of these sites uses illegal content as bait to lure users into accessing illegal gambling and adult sites." The official emphasized, "They are economic criminals who threaten the K-content industry ecosystem and share criminal proceeds with accomplices."

The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the National Police Agency will form a joint crackdown team composed of dedicated investigators with excellent investigative capabilities. They plan to maintain close cooperation and investigation through Interpol’s international cooperation channels.

Kim Byung-chan, Director of the Investigation Bureau of the National Police Agency, stated, "We will actively cooperate with investigative agencies of Interpol member countries worldwide to eradicate online copyright crimes." Jung Hyang-mi, Director of the Copyright Bureau at the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, said, "We will not only investigate illegal distribution sites of K-content but also block criminal proceeds to establish a fair distribution order in the online content market."