"Celebrity Videos for Sale"... 30s Arrested for Making Over 100 Million Won with Deepfake

Illegal Website Created to Distribute 14,526 Videos

A man in his 30s who operated an illegal video distribution site for over a year and earned more than 100 million KRW in profits has been arrested.

On the 8th, the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency's Task Force (TF) focused on deepfake and other fake videos announced that they had arrested a site operator in his 30s, identified as A, who distributed illegal sexual videos through an illegal site, on the 2nd of this month.

A is accused of distributing a total of 14,526 illegal sexual videos, including 20 fake videos such as deepfakes of 13 female celebrities, 5 child and youth sexual exploitation materials, 20 illegally filmed videos, and 14,481 other obscene materials from June last year to September this year, earning approximately 140 million KRW in operating profits.

A, a Chinese national residing and active in South Korea, was found to have posted advertisements for other illegal sites on his now-closed site and received payments for them. The police plan to transfer A to the prosecution this week.

Additionally, the police arrested a man in his 20s, identified as B, who produced fake videos and sold them on overseas subscription-based social networking services (SNS).

B is accused of producing and selling 4,313 fake videos using photos of 72 female celebrities from January to March this year, earning about 3.83 million KRW in profits. It was investigated that B personally programmed a program using generative artificial intelligence (AI) to create the fake videos and used it in the crime.

Furthermore, the police also arrested two men in their 20s to 30s who purchased the fake videos produced by B and resold them on other illegal sexual video distribution sites. The police plan to send three suspects, including B, to prosecution without detention.

A Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency official stated, "We will strictly respond not only to deepfakes but also to any acts of editing, synthesizing, or processing a person's face or body in any form to cause sexual humiliation," adding, "We will make efforts to eradicate the distribution of illegal sexual videos by arresting and severely punishing offenders for profit and by tracking and recovering all criminal proceeds."