Korea’s Deepfake Sex Crime Reviews Surpass Last Year’s Total in Eight Months

South Korea’s media regulator reviewed more cases of deepfake sexual-abuse content in the first eight months of 2026 than during all of last year, highlighting the continuing scale of technology-enabled sex crimes and the difficulty of containing material hosted overseas.

The Korea Communications Standards Commission received 17,378 cases for review from January through August, according to data submitted to Democratic Party lawmaker Lee Yeon-hee, a member of the National Assembly committee overseeing science, information technology, broadcasting and communications.

That figure was 1,570 cases, or 9.9 percent, higher than the 15,808 cases recorded throughout 2025. The eight-month total also points to a renewed rise after the annual number declined last year from a peak of 23,109 in 2024.

The longer-term trend has been sharply upward. Reviews increased from 1,913 cases in 2021 to 3,574 in 2022 and 7,187 in 2023 before more than tripling the following year. Although the tally eased in 2025, this year’s count had already exceeded that annual level by the end of August.

Most of the material was found outside major social media and messaging services identified separately in the data. The commission placed 17,116 cases, about 98.5 percent of the total, in an “other” category that includes overseas illegal or obscene websites and peer-to-peer file-sharing services. X accounted for 138 cases, while Telegram accounted for 124.

The concentration on overseas and decentralized services presents a practical enforcement challenge because domestic regulators may have limited ability to compel operators outside Korea to remove content. Blocking access can reduce exposure within the country, but officials are also seeking measures that produce actual deletion and curb repeated circulation.

Korea Communications Standards Commission Chair Koh Kwang-heon told a National Assembly audit that the regulator would strengthen its response to illegal recordings and deepfake sexual-abuse videos. He said the commission would focus in particular on making deletion and blocking measures involving overseas platforms more effective.

Lee called for a close review of the country’s current response system, saying effective measures were needed both to prevent the material from spreading and to protect victims. The latest figures cover content submitted for regulatory review rather than a count of individual offenders or victims, but they show the volume of suspected abusive material requiring official action.