South Korea police arrests 3,557 for cybersexual abuse crimes over one year
South Korea's National Police arrested 3,557 people for cybersexual abuse crimes in a year-long crackdown, with deepfakes being the most common offense. Nearly half of those arrested were teenagers, prompting police to extend enforcement and coordinate with education authorities on prevention.
What happened
From November 2024 to October 2025, South Korea's National Police Agency arrested 3,557 people in a crackdown on cybersexual abuse crimes, discovering 3,411 cases. Deepfake crimes accounted for 1,553 cases (35.2%), child and youth sexual exploitation material for 1,513 cases (34.3%), and illegal recordings for 857 cases (19.4%).
Police arrested a 17-year-old boy who approached 19 female peers via Instagram claiming to reveal a deepfake video distributor, then created sexual abuse material of them. A 15-year-old boy created 590 deepfake images combining female celebrity faces with nude photographs and was arrested.
Reported impact
Nearly half of those arrested (47.6%, or 1,761 people) were aged 10-19. Among deepfake crimes specifically, teenagers aged 10-19 and those aged 20-29 comprised over 90% of suspects (61.8% and 30.2% respectively).
The police removed or blocked 36,135 images of victims through broadcast media communications review committees and connected 28,356 victims to victim support centers to prevent secondary harm.
Index analysis
Arrests increased 47.8% compared to the same period a year earlier (2,406 arrests). Police stated that the rise was driven by advances in AI technology and the expansion of deepfake criminal penalties under amended sexual violence law since the latter half of 2024.
Police attributed the high proportion of teenage perpetrators to their familiarity with digital platforms.
Governance controls
Police conducted 256 undercover operations (up 32% from 194 the prior year), resulting in 913 arrests and 36 prosecutions. Police established international coordination with Telegram and other platforms and employed deepfake detection software.
Police plan to continue focused crackdowns through October 2025, focusing on generative AI and derivative technology misuse. They are collaborating with the education ministry to share deepfake crime prevention materials.
Classification
Sources and evidence
This record was researched and written by the Index, based on the following original reporting.