20s Man Faces Trial for Creating and Distributing 1,300 Deepfake Videos on Telegram

Production and Distribution of 1,275 Deepfake Videos

A man identified as A, accused of receiving personal information such as photos and names from participants in a Telegram group chat to create and distribute deepfake videos, has been brought to trial while in custody.

The Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office, Women and Children Crime Investigation Division 1 (Chief Prosecutor Kim Ji-hye), on the 13th, formally charged A, a man in his 20s, with violations of the Act on the Protection of Children and Juveniles Against Sexual Abuse (including production of sexual exploitation materials). A is accused of receiving victims' personal information such as photos and names from Telegram group chat participants and then producing and distributing deepfake videos. Investigations revealed that A produced as many as 1,275 adult deepfake videos and 92 deepfake videos involving children and adolescents.

On the same day, prosecutors also brought B, who operated two obscene material distribution websites distributing child and adolescent sexual exploitation materials for about four years, to trial while in custody. B is charged with managing the websites, including server maintenance and domain management, under violations of the Act on the Protection of Children and Juveniles Against Sexual Abuse. Prosecutors provided support for victims of deepfake videos by requesting the Seoul Digital Sexual Crime Safety Support Center and the Cyber and Technology Crime Investigation Division of the Supreme Prosecutors' Office to assist with the deletion of false videos and monitor their distribution.

A prosecutor stated, “We will continue to respond swiftly and strictly to crimes involving the production and distribution of false videos such as deepfakes, while making every effort to support and protect victims.”