Illegal Copying Controversy Rekindled by "Poksak Sogassuda" Pirate Viewing in China... What Is the Solution? [Why&Next]

Representative Side Effect of the Digital Era: Illegal Content Copying
191.8 Billion Visits and 18.3 Billion Downloads Worldwide in 2023
NunuTV Reaches 83.49 Million Cumulative Users and Up to 10 Million Monthly Users
Negative Impacts Include Economic Losses and Decline in Creative Motivation and Output
Integrated Efforts in Education, Technology, and Legislation Are Crucial

The controversy over media "pirate viewing" has been reignited, sparked by the popularity of "Poksak Sogassuda." This drama, released on Netflix, has gained global popularity. In particular, it has received an enthusiastic response in China, despite the ongoing Hallyu ban. As evidence of this, a so-called "Kim Seonho Challenge," in which Chinese Gen Z imitate the actor's expressions from the drama, has become a trend.

The issue is that Netflix is not officially available in China, leading to the widespread phenomenon of "pirate viewing" through illegal distribution channels. Illegal copying and distribution are considered major side effects of the digital era. Experts in this field suggest that an integrated approach encompassing education, technology, and legislation is necessary to address the problem of illegal copying.

◆ Proliferation of Illegal Digital Content Copying = According to the Korea Intellectual Property Research Institute (Illegal Copying and IP Academic Trends) and the Alliance for Creativity and Entertainment (ACE), as of May 22, 2025, there were 191.8 billion visits to illegal movie and TV piracy sites worldwide in 2023. The number of illegal downloads of released movies, TV, and VOD content via peer-to-peer networks reached 18.3 billion.

Illegal distribution of pirated content is also rampant in South Korea. As of April 2023, the cumulative number of users of NunuTV (the largest illegal distribution channel in Korea) was estimated at 83.49 million, with a cumulative view count of approximately 1.8 billion. At that time, the average maximum monthly users of NunuTV reached about 10 million, similar to the number of monthly Netflix users. The estimated copyright damage caused by illegal content distributed through NunuTV is calculated at 4.9 trillion won.

According to a survey by the Copyright Protection Agency, the main reasons for seeking illegal copies are: because they are free or very cheap (32.4%), because it is easy to find the desired content (18.6%), because many people are already using them (17.1%), because it is possible to obtain content that is difficult to find through paid services (10.6%), and because the quality is as good as official content (7.7%).

By genre, the proportion of illegally distributed content was highest for movies at 24.5%, followed by games (23.9%), TV broadcasts (21.5%), webtoons (20.4%), music (18.4%), and publications (14.4%).

◆ Ongoing Illegal Copying and Its Negative Effects = Illegal copying is not a new concept. In the 19th century, European books were illegally copied and distributed in the United States, where copyright laws were relatively lax. In the 1960s and 1970s, cassette tapes and copiers made illegal copying easier, and in the 1970s and 1980s, the advent of VHS recorders facilitated the illegal copying of publications, movies, broadcasts, and programs. Since the 1990s, digitalization and the spread of the internet have expanded the scope and accelerated the spread of illegal copying.

The problem is that as illegal copies become more widespread, the resulting economic losses snowball, and there are additional negative effects such as decreased motivation and output among creators, as well as a decline in content quality. These negative impacts have been demonstrated in numerous domestic and international studies.

For example, according to ACE, in 2020, revenue from advertising on illegal streaming websites and apps reached $1.34 billion, and the top five piracy sites earned an average of $18.3 million annually. About 12% of all ad revenue from illegal sites, or $121 million per year, came from malicious ads.

Experts generally agree that this means reduced earnings for creators from their creative activities, leading to decreased motivation and, consequently, reduced output.

◆ Shared International Awareness of the Seriousness of Illegal Copying = The seriousness of illegal copying is a common concern in the international community, which is why countries continue to research ways to block illegal copying and promote the legal use of digital content.

Choi Jaesik, head of the Global Policy Research Office at the Korea Intellectual Property Research Institute, said, "Advances in media technology have made illegal copying easier and brought significant changes to the distribution environment. For this reason, research on the use of illegal content and measures to prevent it has continued both domestically and internationally."

He explained that policy implications derived from domestic and international discussions on blocking illegal copying and distribution can be summarized as follows: a multifaceted approach to analyzing the domestic media environment and user behavior; data-based empirical research; an integrated approach from moral, technological, and legal perspectives; and collaborative approaches with clear roles for both the public and private sectors.

Choi emphasized, "An integrated approach is most important for solving the problem of illegal copying." He added, "Various solutions have been proposed from moral, technological, and legal perspectives, and some have proven effective. However, since no single measure can solve all problems, future policies to respond to illegal copying must be multifaceted and integrated, including media education, technological measures, and legislative efforts."

Meanwhile, ACE was established in 2017 under the Motion Picture Association (MPA) in the United States and is regarded as one of the most influential copyright protection organizations in the global media industry.