Culture Ministry Urgently Blocks 34 Copyright-Infringing Sites

The Ministry of Culture, Sports, and Tourism announced that on the first day of the implementation of the urgent blocking and access restriction system for copyright infringement sites, May 11, a total of 34 sites were urgently blocked.

The ministry explained that the 34 blocked sites met the requirements for urgent blocking, including the clarity of illegality as stipulated in the Copyright Act, the urgency to prevent damages, and the absence of alternative measures. The list included 'Newtoki,' an illegal webtoon site that has repeatedly shut down and resumed operations recently.

On this day, the ministry also announced that, in accordance with the revised Copyright Act, it notified Internet Service Providers (ISPs) with the "first urgent blocking order" against copyright infringement sites. ISPs that receive the order are required to block access to the relevant sites.

The ministry explained that measures to block users from accessing the sites themselves are the fastest and most effective administrative means to respond to illegal sites.

However, under the previous Copyright Act, the Korea Communications Standards Commission was the only body authorized to block access to illegal sites based on overseas servers. As a result, there had been criticism that it was difficult to effectively respond to illegal sites. Under the amendment, either the Ministry of Culture, Sports, and Tourism or the Korea Communications Standards Commission can now order access blocking as soon as they first detect the site. The ministry stated that it would continue to closely monitor the trends of illegal sites, such as the creation of alternative sites, expand the number of sites subject to urgent blocking, and accelerate the speed of access blocking measures.

On this day, Minister of Culture, Sports, and Tourism Choi Hwi-young visited the Korea Copyright Protection Agency, where he shared his determination to respond strongly to illegal sites and encouraged the staff in charge.

Minister Choi stated, "Despite the government's strong stance and a new response system, operators of illegal sites will not easily give up the illicit profits they have gained. Even if this becomes an endless battle, we will minimize the lifespan of illegal sites through swift blocking measures."