South Korea police arrest 506 suspects in deepfake sex crime cases this year

Police explain prevention measures of digital sex crimes at Hallym University in Chuncheon, Gangwon Province, in this file photo provided by Chuncheon Police Station, Sept. 26. Yonhap

Police have rounded up 506 suspects connected to deepfake sex crimes so far this year, the National Police Agency (NPA) said Wednesday.

Police received 964 reports related to deepfake sex crimes between January and Friday, with over half of the reports filed after police launched an intensive crackdown on such crimes in late August.

Since the crackdown, the daily reports related to such crimes have dropped from 17.57 cases from Sept. 7-13 to 2.86 cases from Oct. 18-25.

Of the apprehended suspects, 81.2 percent, or 411 people, were teenagers, and minors aged 10-14 who are exempt from criminal liability recorded 15.4 percent, or 78 people.

Those in their 20s amounted to 15.2 percent, or 77 people, followed by 13 in their 30s, two in their 40s, and three for those 50 and over.

The NPA held an appointment ceremony on Wednesday to promote three police officers who contributed to the arrest of the suspects charged with deepfake sex crimes.

Police plan to continue the crackdown until March 31, 2025. (Yonhap)