# South Korea's Women Digital Detectives Take on the Rise of AI Deepfake Porn > Source: > Published: 2026-08-04 15:58:26+00:00 # South Korea's Women Digital Detectives Take on the Rise of AI Deepfake Porn ## Seoul's Digital Detectives Combat AI-Driven Sexual Exploitation Under banners reading 'Solidarity' and 'We stand together with victims', a specialised unit of 23 women digital detectives in Seoul is hunting down illegal AI-enabled deepfake pornography across the internet. Operating from the National Center for Digital Sexual Crime Response, the team spends its days scouring the web for non-consensual explicit imagery, filing deletion requests backed by threats of legal action. In case you missed it, South Korea takes immense national pride in its technological prowess as home to the world's leading smartphone and memory chipmakers. Yet, rights groups point out that this technological dominance casts a dark shadow, with women frequently targeted in widespread digital sex crimes. Before artificial intelligence, abusers used spycams to film victims in private spaces, while chat groups were weaponised to blackmail targets and share so-called revenge porn without consent. ## South Korea Fights AI Deepfake Porn Epidemic Now, [AI-generated deepfakes](https://www.ibtimes.co.uk/ai-deepfakes-safety-risks-onlyfans-creators-1812271) have emerged as the newest threat in this space. Using generative technology and just a picture of their victim's face, harassers can fabricate invasive pornographic images of their targets. 'South Korea acted faster than others because not only digital sex crimes became common earlier than elsewhere, but also women spoke out against them just as quickly and vigorously,' Kim Mi-soon, the head of the government-founded centre, stated. ## Women Digital Detectives Target Illegal AI Porn The national response centre originally opened its doors in 2018, a year marked by tens of thousands of women protesting against the country's spycam epidemic. Today, the organisation's Seoul headquarters and 17 regional hubs provide counselling, legal advice, and evidence collection for prosecutions. Last year, the group successfully pulled down 318,000 videos and photos, encompassing deepfakes, spycam content, and intimate imagery shared without consent. These were deleted for 10,600 people, 75 percent of whom were women and girls. To manage this massive workload, the centre uses its own AI tools and a monitoring system capable of detecting exploitative material and messages targeting children. ## Global Deepfake Circulation Impacts Women In Seoul Digital sex crimes continue to prove a highly mutable menace for law enforcement. To recall, the country's digital landscape was exposed in 2020 during the 'Nth Room' scandal, where men exploited dozens of women and girls, referred to as slaves, inside pay-to-view sextortion chatrooms. Following the establishment of the 46-person national response centre, sexual deepfakes rapidly replaced older methods as the prominent trend. Data published by the web safety firm Security Hero shows the scale of the issue: over a four-year period ending in 2023, the volume of synthetic media circulating globally jumped by 550 percent. Nearly 98 percent of this content was AI-generated pornography of women, with more than half the victims worldwide identified as South Korean, according to the company's research. ## Legal Support Crucial For Deepfake Porn Victims While K-pop stars were the initial targets, police data indicates ordinary women are increasingly ensnared, with digital sex crimes now accounting for 40 percent of all sexual offences in the country. One 31-year-old deletion specialist, who requested anonymity for safety concerns, said that since last year, images of ordinary women and girls have become highly sophisticated, and victims are getting progressively younger. For one 33-year-old military member, identified only by her surname Kim, the centre's support was vital after she discovered deepfakes of her face shared across encrypted apps in 2024. She said the centre makes a huge difference for victims navigating the ordeal alone. Kim received financial aid from the hub to secure a trauma diagnosis for court evidence, which she said left her feeling healed. 'Navigating the whole legal procedure alone while suffering trauma would have been impossible,' she added. ## Deepfake Pornography Penalties Increased Across South Korea Deepfake pornography is strictly illegal in South Korea, with possession punishable by up to three years in prison and creators facing up to seven years behind bars. Penalties were notably increased in 2024 after investigators uncovered a network of [Telegram chatrooms sharing AI-generated sexualised footage](https://www.ibtimes.co.uk/ai-misuse-queensland-fake-sex-work-posters-1811175) of female acquaintances, classmates, colleagues, and relatives, often using photos taken directly from the victims' social media accounts. Clare McGlynn, a law professor at Britain's Durham University and an expert in image-based sexual abuse, stated that Seoul is leading the way on providing holistic support services and investing in the latest technology to reduce harm, calling it an example for the rest of the world. However, campaigners warn the fundamental cause remains a patriarchal culture that views women as sexual objects undeserving of dignity. Kim Yeo-jin, head of the nonprofit Korea Cyber Sexual Violence Response Center, noted that without fostering gender equality in wider society and strengthening education at school, no amount of removal efforts will be sufficient. © Copyright IBTimes 2025. All rights reserved.