KCSC Blocks Access to 6,000 Illegal K-Content Distribution Sites

The Korea Communications Standards Commission announced on the 27th that it has cracked down on numerous sites illegally distributing K-content such as movies, dramas, webtoons, and web novels, and has blocked access to them.

The Commission explained that these sites were identified "as a result of intensive monitoring last year," noting that "the majority were so-called 'alternative sites' that changed only their URLs to evade access blocks after being previously blocked, and about 6,000 such sites have been blocked."

The total number of corrective orders issued for copyright-infringing illegal reproductions was 7,176 cases. This represents a 12% increase compared to the previous year, and the Commission stated that this figure has been steadily rising annually.

The Commission emphasized that it has established a cooperative system involving 33 rights holders, including broadcasters, online video service (OTT) providers, webtoon operators, and music platforms, to detect copyright-infringing information, and that alternative sites are immediately blocked without separate verification.

The Commission plans to continue focused monitoring and swift blocking of copyright-infringing information that undermines the development of the K-content industry, such as illegal streaming and webtoon sites.

The Commission expects that the so-called 'Nunu TV Prevention Act' (Amendment to the Act on Promotion of Information and Communications Network Utilization and Information Protection) to be enforced in July will also eliminate blind spots in access blocking of copyright-infringing information distributing illegal reproductions. This law mandates that information and communications service providers of a certain scale who install and operate servers that temporarily store data domestically, such as content delivery networks (CDNs), must implement technical and administrative measures to prevent the distribution of illegal information.

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