Digital sex crime victims surpass 10,000 in Korea, majority in teens, 20s

(Getty Image)

More than 10,000 people in South Korea sought government assistance for dealing with digital sex crimes in 2023, marking the highest number of cases since the establishment of the Digital Sex Crime Victim Support Center in 2018. The vast majority of victims were in their teens and 20s, with a sharp surge in the abuse of artificial intelligence to generate deepfakes driving the increase.

According to the digital sex crime report from the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family, a total of 10,305 individuals received support in 2023 — a 14.7 percent rise from the previous year — in the sectors of counseling, assistance with content removal and referrals for legal, medical and investigative aid. Deleted illegal materials also exceeded 300,000 for the first time, up 22.3 percent year-on-year.

Teenagers accounted for 27.9 percent of the victims, up from 17.8 percent in 2022, while victims in their 20s made up 50.2 percent, rising steeply from 18.2 percent.

Authorities believe the actual number of teenage victims may be higher due to underreporting. “Teens are especially vulnerable as they are frequent users of social media and digital platforms,” a ministry official said.

The number of cases involving synthetic media abuse — including deepfake pornography — jumped dramatically. In 2023, 1,384 such cases were reported, up 227.2 percent from 423 the previous year. A staggering 92.6 percent of deepfake victims were under 30. Reports of illicit filming also increased from 2,927 to 4,182 cases over the same period.

The ministry expressed concerns over the growing accessibility of AI tools that can create explicit synthetic content, including deepfakes targeting minors. Officials warned that as AI systems become more personalized through data accumulation, the scale and sophistication of digital sex crimes are likely to grow.

In response, the government plans to review recent cases and engage with platform operators to implement stronger measures to combat digital sex crimes and protect vulnerable users.