4 middle school students in S. Korea were arrested for producing deepfake porn for their classmates

SEOUL – Four middle school students in Namyangju, South Korea, were arrested for producing, possessing and distributing deepfake porn, according to local police.

Police officials confirmed on October 26 that two of the four men were suspected of using photos of female classmates to create sexually explicit deepfake content since November 2023.

The two students are also accused of possessing deepfakes and sharing them with two other students who are accused of owning the content.

Four secondary school students were arrested for violating the Special Cases Law on the Punishment of Sexual Offenses. Under South Korean law, it is a crime to possess sexually explicit deepfake images of minors.

Based on their investigation, police have so far identified nine victims, all of whom were middle school students. However, police added that the number may increase as the investigation continues.

Regarding the investigation, police officials added that detectives were looking for other evidence of crime in the suspects’ homes and mobile phones.

The case is also being investigated by the Cyber ​​Investigation Bureau of the Gyeonggi Bukbu Provincial Police Agency after it was first reported to the Namyangju Bukbu Police Station.

The incident came to light in August when victims reported to the school that four students had created sexually explicit deepfake images of themselves and their friends.

The school reported the situation to the Guri Namyangju Education Office, which formed the School Violence Review Committee. The committee decided to transfer the two students who created deepfake content and to suspend the other two students accused of possessing the content.

However, local media reports stated that the parents of the victims filed a complaint, claiming that their children suffered “secondary victimization” due to the school’s delayed intervention – such as taking two months to separate the female victims from the suspects. Secondary victimization refers to the further trauma experienced by victims due to the insensitivity, blame, or dismissive attitude of others.

According to data provided by 16 provincial and metropolitan education offices to Korean Reconstruction Party Representative Kang Kyung-sook, 1,727 digital sex crimes committed by students from 2021 to August 2024 were reported to the Review Committee on Measures Against School Violence.

The committee demanded that “severe penalties” be imposed on the perpetrators in 765 of the total number of digital sex crimes, that is, 44.3 percent.

In South Korea, cases of violence in schools are investigated by the School Violence Review Committee. After the investigation, the committee meets to verify the incident and decide on disciplinary sanctions.

Penalties; They range from a written apology, no-contact order or community service to more severe measures such as suspension, class transfer, school transfer or expulsion.

According to Ms. Kang, some of the reported digital sex crimes included the creation and distribution of sexually explicit deepfake videos and their use to threaten the victim, as well as the illegal creation and distribution of deepfake and illegally filmed content online. There have also been a few cases where perpetrators sent messages that constituted sexual harassment.

“Not only physical violence, but also digital sex crimes committed online constitute a form of school violence,” Ms. Kang said.

“Active attention as well as education for students should be provided by educational authorities to prevent further victimization of students and ultimately prevent violence in school.” KOREA HERALD/ASIA NEWS NETWORK