South Korea vows tougher stance after outcry over sexual deepfakes in Telegram chatrooms
South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol called for an investigation after reports that sexually explicit deepfake images and videos of South Korean women were often found in Telegram chatrooms.
SEOUL, South Korea — South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol on Tuesday called for digital sex crimes to be thoroughly investigated after media reported that sexually explicit deepfake images and videos of South Korean women were often found in Telegram chatrooms.
The reports by domestic media in recent days have coincided with the arrest of Pavel Durov, Telegram’s Russian-born founder, on the weekend — part of a French investigation into child pornography, drug trafficking and fraud on the encrypted messaging app.
The Korea Communications Standards Commission, the state media regulator, plans to hold a meeting on Wednesday to discuss measures to counter sexually explicit deepfakes.
“It’s an exploitation of technology while relying on the protection of anonymity. It’s a clear criminal act,” Yoon said during a televised cabinet meeting.
Yoon talked about sex crimes on social media in general and did not mention Telegram by name.
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