[Exclusive] AI Threatens K-Content... Copyright Infringement Reports Triple in One Year

2,850 Copyright Infringement Reports in Webtoons in Q1 Alone
Illegal Sites Proliferate Despite Authorities' Emergency Blocking

Copyright infringement caused by illegal content distribution sites has surged nearly threefold in one year, hindering the global expansion of K-content. The content industry reports that the rapid advancement of artificial intelligence (AI) technology has made it easier to bypass copyright protection programs, resulting in a snowballing of damages to K-content.

According to the Korea Copyright Protection Agency on May 20, the number of copyright infringement reports related to illegal content distribution sites for domestic content has risen sharply since last year. There were 9,173 reports in 2023 and 9,571 in 2024, but last year saw a dramatic increase to 26,255 cases, nearly tripling within a year. In the first quarter of this year alone, 3,668 reports were filed, indicating that copyright infringement reports for domestic content continue to increase.

Specifically, copyright infringement occurred more frequently in comics and novels than in video content. Last year, out of all reported cases of copyright infringement, 19,014 cases were related to publishing and literary works. This was followed by 3,476 cases for comics and webtoons and 2,188 cases for broadcasting. In the first quarter of this year, there were 2,850 reports of infringement for comics and webtoons and 367 for publishing and literary works, accounting for 87.7% of the total.

Yonhap News Agency

Industry experts point to AI as a major method of copyright infringement. While copyright protection programs utilizing AI are being operated to prevent illegal content distribution, these programs are also being breached by AI. A representative from Naver Webtoon stated, "Naver Webtoon is continuously advancing its AI-based copyright protection technology, called 'Toon Radar.'" However, they acknowledged, "Operators of illegal content distribution sites are also abusing AI technology to bypass the system." A representative from a domestic online video service (OTT) company lamented, "It costs 500 billion won to produce original content, but in reality, it is uploaded to illegal content distribution sites within just a few hours of release," emphasizing that "copyright infringement of domestic content is happening faster than ever before."

K-content, including webtoons, web novels, and dramas, continues to gain global popularity. According to the '2025 Q4 and Annual Content Industry Trend Analysis Report' by the Korea Creative Content Agency, sales in the domestic content industry last year reached 161.4839 trillion won, a 2.6% increase from the previous year (157.4021 trillion won). However, domestic content companies are struggling with the proliferation of illegal content distribution sites. It is estimated that the damage caused by the representative illegal streaming site 'NununTV' alone amounts to nearly 5 trillion won.

K-content is growing... Damage from illegal streaming sites reaches 5 trillion won

The authorities are calling for swift action to prevent copyright infringement. The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism announced on May 11 that Minister Choi Hwi-young had issued emergency blocking and access restriction orders for copyright-infringing sites, including emergency blocking orders for 34 illegal webtoon and web novel distribution sites such as 'NewToki.' Nevertheless, operators of illegal content distribution sites continue to evade monitoring by creating mirror sites using overseas servers. Even now, users in online communities can easily find and share alternative links to sites like NewToki and NununTV. When accessing these links, one can find webtoons serialized the previous day already uploaded to illegal content distribution sites within just one day.

The content industry points out that simply blocking illegal content distribution sites is not enough, and that enforcement and penalties must be strengthened for related areas such as illegal gambling. An industry insider stated, "Illegal content distribution sites are interconnected by generating revenue through illegal gambling advertisements," adding, "Only by cracking down on these issues and imposing strong penalties will people be discouraged from engaging in illegal content distribution businesses."

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