A Series of Deepfake Incidents Reported in Gyeongnam... 24 Cases Filed This Year Alone

Digital sex crimes involving the illegal creation of synthetic images using deepfake technology are occurring one after another in Gyeongnam.

Deepfake technology, which is an AI-based image synthesis technology, is being misused to create and distribute photos or videos that superimpose the faces of celebrities or ordinary people onto pornographic material, constituting digital sex crimes.

Gyeongnam Office of Education. Photo by Lee Seryeong

According to the Gyeongnam Office of Education on the 27th, there have been a total of 24 reported cases related to deepfake incidents in the province this year.

By region, Changwon, Jinju, and Gimhae each reported 5 cases, Tongyeong 4 cases, Geoje 2 cases, and Sacheon, Haman, and Hadong each reported 1 case.

By school level, there was 1 case in elementary school, 13 in middle school, and 10 in high school. All perpetrators were identified as male students, and the victims were female students of similar age.

The provincial Office of Education announced that this year, at a middle school in the province, six first-year students including student A created synthetic photos of 12 female students from four different schools, including their own.

Their crime came to light around the 26th of last month when student A and others created a group chat on the Telegram messenger app, shared the synthesized photos of the victims, and one of the perpetrators reported the incident to a senior student.

An official from the Office of Education stated, "It took time to confirm the facts of the crime due to the number of perpetrators and victims," adding, "A forensic examination of the mobile phones confirmed that there was no external leakage, and the victim photos have been deleted."

The victimized students are reportedly attending school as usual while receiving psychological counseling and treatment support with their guardians.

Regarding the perpetrators, a School Violence Countermeasure Deliberation Committee meeting is scheduled for the 29th.

The Gyeongnam Provincial Police Agency announced that as a result of investigations into digital sex crimes using deepfake technology, they uncovered 1 case in 2022, 10 cases in 2023, and 18 cases so far this year.

Of the 10 people referred to the prosecution by the provincial police this year on related charges, 8 were identified as minors.

The Office of Education, together with Gyeongnam Province, the Gyeongnam Police Agency, and the Gyeongnam Autonomous Police Committee, has begun joint efforts to respond to and prevent digital sex crimes, and has sent official notices to all schools in the province emphasizing strict measures against sexual violence.

In addition, the office plans to further focus on preventing the recurrence of such crimes, including conducting deepfake prevention education on the 28th.

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