National Assembly to Crack Down on 'Deepfake Sexual Crimes'... Emergency Inquiry Scheduled for Next Week

Se Beom-su "Plans to Hold Party-Government Council After Current Issue Inquiry"
"Will Promote Legal Amendments to Protect Women and Minors"

Members of the National Assembly's Gender Equality and Family Committee from both ruling and opposition parties unanimously stated, "We will strengthen legal systems to prevent the misuse of deepfake technology and push for legal amendments to protect women and minors." The committee plans to hold an urgent inquiry on the issue next month on the 4th, inviting officials from the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family, the Korea Communications Commission, and the National Police Agency.

On the afternoon of the 27th, Chairperson Lee In-seon and party coordinators Seo Beom-su and Kim Han-gyu held a press conference at the National Assembly regarding 'deepfake sex crimes.' Chairperson Lee said, "Existing laws such as the Personal Information Protection Act and defamation laws do not adequately reflect the unique characteristics of crimes using deepfake technology," adding, "The Gender Equality and Family Committee will prepare strong countermeasures." She also added, "We will also revitalize the operation of support centers for victims of digital sex crimes."

Chairperson Lee In-seon of the National Assembly's Women and Family Committee and floor leaders Seo Beom-su and Kim Han-gyu from both ruling and opposition parties are holding a press conference on the illegal synthetic material 'deepfake sexual crimes' at the National Assembly Communication Hall in Yeouido, Seoul, on the afternoon of the 27th. [Image source=Yonhap News]

After the press conference, Kim Han-gyu, coordinator for the Democratic Party of Korea, told reporters, "We will conduct the urgent inquiry, then review the bill the following week, and pass the parts on which there is agreement immediately," adding, "Our goal is to have it passed within the National Assembly between September and October." He continued, "I spoke with the ruling party chairperson and coordinators, and there seems to be no disagreement."

Coordinator Kim mentioned, "Recently, the Telegram CEO was arrested in France," and said, "I think we have been too passive in responding because the servers are located overseas." Furthermore, he emphasized, "We will amend the law, which currently only punishes cases where the content is produced for distribution, to broaden the scope of punishment."

When asked about the root causes of deepfake sex crimes, Chairperson Lee replied, "It is very complex," and said, "All government departments need to respond together." She also explained, "Since the victims fall under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family, the committee proposed to take the lead in addressing this issue."

The government and the National Assembly are actively working to resolve the problem. Seo Beom-su, coordinator for the People Power Party, stated, "We plan to hold a party-government council meeting based on the discussions from the urgent inquiry." President Yoon Suk-yeol also emphasized that morning, "Digital sex crimes must be thoroughly eradicated," and the Korea Communications Standards Commission convened an emergency meeting regarding the deepfake pornography incident.

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