First Korean Government Agency Holds Face-to-Face Meeting with Korea Communications Commission
Additional Hotline Established and Regular Working-Level Consultations
"Will Encourage Overseas Platforms to Comply with Domestic Laws"
Telegram, which had been identified as a hotspot for digital sex crimes, has agreed to actively cooperate with the South Korean government's crackdown and investigation requests. It promised to take a zero-tolerance approach and respond strongly to illegal content such as deepfake sex crime videos. Telegram held a face-to-face meeting with the Korea Communications Standards Commission (KCSC) for the first time as a South Korean government agency and conveyed this policy.
On the 30th, Ryu Hee-rim, Chairperson of the KCSC, held a press conference at the Korea Broadcasting Center in Mok-dong, Seoul, announcing the results of the face-to-face meeting with Telegram held last weekend. Chairperson Ryu said, "Among the key commitments made by Telegram, the most important is their promise to apply a zero-tolerance principle and respond strongly to illegal content distributed within Telegram going forward."
Through this meeting, Telegram stated that it would △ cooperate in various ways regarding illegal content distributed on Telegram, including not only deepfake sex crimes but also obscenity, prostitution, drugs, and gambling, and △ actively accept requests from the KCSC to promptly delete and block illegal content on Telegram.
Additionally, Telegram promised to proactively consult with the Korean National Police Agency and the Korea Communications Commission. The KCSC and Telegram agreed to strengthen their cooperation by establishing an additional dedicated hotline with staff available for constant contact beyond the currently established hotline, and by regularizing working-level consultations.
Telegram, which had been passive in responding to the South Korean government's cooperation requests, has changed its stance proactively. This is the first time Telegram has held a face-to-face meeting with a South Korean government agency. However, Lee Dong-soo, Director of the Digital Sex Crime Deliberation Bureau, was reserved in a Q&A session with reporters, stating, "We held a meeting with a high-ranking official who holds a significant position within Telegram," and added, "The meeting location was also kept confidential."
Since the KCSC announced a comprehensive countermeasure against deepfake sex crimes in August, it has been working to secure a hotline with Telegram. In response, Telegram recently began two-way communication by deleting deepfake sex crime videos requested by the KCSC and immediately reporting the results. Director Lee explained, "From the 3rd to the 25th, since securing the hotline, we requested the deletion of 148 illegal videos on Telegram, all of which were 100% deleted."
The KCSC has conducted practical discussions with Telegram through email exchanges and video conferences regarding deepfake sex crime videos and held the first face-to-face meeting over two days on the 27th and 28th. Director Lee said, "We can now communicate regularly via email, mobile phone, and video conferencing," adding, "If in-depth meetings are necessary, face-to-face meetings are possible, but no specific date for a second meeting has been set."
In the future, if Telegram establishes a cooperation system with the National Police Agency, it is expected to facilitate the punishment of perpetrators. Director Lee said, "If someone is involved in a crime, their ID and phone number can be provided through the cooperation process between Telegram and the National Police Agency." He added, "The KCSC also has a cooperation system with the National Police Agency. When the police input a recognized case into the cooperation system, a KCSC staff member on duty 24 hours a day checks it and immediately requests Telegram to delete and block the content."
Director Lee stated, "Looking at global trends, overseas platforms are being held socially responsible, and I hope that domestic platforms will also act responsibly when conducting business in Korea." Chairperson Ryu said, "To minimize damage caused by illegal and harmful information circulating online, such as deepfake sex crime videos, we will strengthen international cooperation and continuously encourage overseas platform operators like Telegram to comply with domestic laws."
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