Police, Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, and Interpol Jointly Crack Down on Copyright Infringement Websites Including Webtoons for 5 Months

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Gwan-joo] The National Police Agency's National Investigation Headquarters announced on the 31st that, together with the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, it will crack down on copyright-infringing illegal sites for five months from next month 1st to October 31st.

The crackdown will involve the International Criminal Police Organization (ICPO·Interpol), which will select a total of 30 sites, mainly focusing on severely affected webtoons, and conduct international cooperative investigations.

The police emphasized that copyright infringement sites are often linked to other crimes such as illegal sexual content and gambling, and that planned and comprehensive crackdowns through inter-agency cooperation are necessary to expand the overseas advancement of Hallyu content.

A police official said, "Considering the nature of cybercrime without national borders, we will act as a bridge between the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and Interpol to ensure smooth international cooperative investigations," adding, "We will strive to eradicate online copyright crimes through active cooperation with investigative agencies of Interpol member countries worldwide."

Meanwhile, over the past three years, the police have conducted joint crackdowns with the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism on sites distributing illegal copies, shutting down a total of 50 sites and arresting 51 people, including operators of 27 of those sites.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.