On August 27, South Korean police launched an investigation into reports of pornographic content created through deepfake technology at schools nationwide, including elementary schools.

Earlier, the names of about 300 schools across the country were posted on a Telegram chat room to report deepfake porn cases.

The list went viral over the weekend when multiple public accounts on the social media platform X posted the list of schools, according to the post on X. According to the post, participants in the Telegram chat shared photos of acquaintances such as classmates and teachers, which can be easily obtained through public social media accounts, to create pornographic content using deepfake technology.

Police investigations have begun in Seoul, Incheon and South Jeolla. The Jeonnam Provincial Police Agency’s cybercrime unit is searching for two suspects who created and distributed deepfake pornographic content by synthesizing photos of women posted on social media such as Instagram. Victims who discovered their images were being used directly reported to the police.

According to the South Korean police, if caught producing or distributing deepfake porn, the perpetrator can be sentenced to up to five years in prison or fined up to 50 million won ($37,740), under the Act on Special Cases Concerning the Punishment of Sexual Crimes. If the victim of the crime is a minor, the law under the Juvenile Protection Act will apply. Therefore, the punishment will be higher, with prison sentences of more than five years or life imprisonment.

South Korea's Ministry of Gender Equality and Family said it plans to help victims remove deepfake pornography through systems of investigators tracking illegal video content.

KHANH HUNG