South Korea Closes 66 Websites in Digital Sex Crime Crackdown
An interagency task force has closed 66 websites distributing sexually exploitative material, arrested 32 operators and remotely deleted illegal recordings from 16 sites as South Korea intensifies its response to digital sex crimes.
South Korean authorities have shut down 66 websites distributing sexually exploitative material this year as part of an expanded interagency campaign against digital sex crimes, the Ministry of Gender Equality said Tuesday.
Police also apprehended 32 website operators during the operation. The number of sites closed represents a sharp increase from the six taken offline during all of last year, reflecting a broader push to disrupt platforms that continue to circulate abusive content.
The crackdown was carried out through a joint task force established in April by the gender equality ministry, the Korea Media and Communications Commission and the National Police Agency. The task force was created to improve coordination among agencies, accelerate action against illegal content and strengthen assistance for victims.
Authorities focused on websites whose servers were located overseas and whose operators had repeatedly refused requests to remove illegal material. The cross-border nature of the sites has complicated enforcement, making cooperation among police, regulators and victim-support authorities central to the government’s response.
Officials remotely deleted illegally filmed material from 16 of the 66 websites in an effort to prevent the content from being copied and distributed again. Investigators also seized 2.7 billion won, approximately $2 million, in criminal proceeds linked to the operations.
The ministry said the number of websites carrying illegal material that remained publicly accessible fell to 4,736 from 6,683 last month. The government has been working to shorten the approval process required to block access, seeking to reduce the period during which harmful content can continue circulating after it is identified.
The interagency campaign has also targeted illegal gambling operations suspected of financing websites that distribute sexually exploitative material. Authorities closed 236 gambling websites, apprehended 3,663 people and seized 176 billion won in proceeds connected to those sites.
The figures show that the government’s strategy extends beyond removing individual files. By pursuing operators, financial networks and repeat-offender websites, authorities are attempting to limit both the availability of exploitative material and the revenue structures that sustain its distribution.
Digital sex crimes have remained a major public concern in South Korea, particularly because illegally filmed or manipulated content can be rapidly reproduced across multiple platforms. The latest results indicate that enforcement agencies are placing greater emphasis on coordinated investigations, faster blocking decisions and direct deletion measures intended to reduce repeated harm to victims.