South Korean police have raised concerns about the rise of sexual cyberbullying among teenagers, including an increase in the creation and distribution of abusive sexual images and videos.
On Tuesday, the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency released data on school bullying and teen crime, detailing the period from January to June of this year. According to the analysis, reports of sexual assault and harassment surged from 253 in 2023 to 662 in 2024, marking a 161.7% increase in just one-half year. Notably, cybercrime accounted for 63.1% of these reports, with 20 cases involving explicit and abusive fake images and videos, a noteworthy and shocking increase from all numbers to date.
According to a police officer from the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency, recent technological advancements have led to teenagers abusing these technologies to commit increasingly upsetting sexual crimes. Recently, a middle school student was arrested for manipulating a photo by splicing the face of a female student from the same school she attended onto a sexually explicit image of another person and then posting it online. The student also posted the victim’s personal contact information along with the image. For that crime, the offender was sentenced to two years in prison.
Moreover, teens are now using artificial intelligence technology to create illegal sexual content that appears much more realistic—deepfakes that go beyond simple photo or video manipulation—according to a police officer. For example, two teenage students combined facial images of their classmates and teachers from social media with sexually explicit photos and posted publicly last April, although it was not determined if they used deepfake technology to commit the crime.
[Statistic 1] The number of crimes involving abusive sexual content
[Statistic 2] Age distribution of suspects in abusive sexual content crimes
The Readable contacted the Korean National Police Agency (KNPA) to assess the seriousness of the crime involving the illegal creation of fake sexual content.
According to statistics released by that office, crimes involving the creation of explicit fake content are rising annually, with over half of those responsible for creating the offending materials being from between the ages of 10 and 19.
A spokesperson for the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency stated, “As teenagers’ activities have shifted to cyberspace, students are committing crimes through non-face-to-face methods.” The spokesperson also added, “The agency will respond strictly to emerging youth sexual crimes, including deepfakes.”
Related article: Middle schoolers face investigation after fabricating inappropriate images of teachers and classmates
On Tuesday, South Korean police began investigating two minors accused of creating and circulating inappropriate content featuring their classmates and teachers. The investigation is focused on determining whether the students used artificial intelligence technology to generate the inappropriate images.
The Ulsan Metropolitan Police have reported that the minors are accused of manipulating the facial images of female classmates and teachers to fabricate sexually explicit content without their consent. The students, whose ages and names have not been disclosed, allegedly viewed this content in classrooms and shared it via online messaging applications. Approximately 10 individuals have been identified as victims of these violations.
The investigation was initiated after a school in Ulsan, a southeastern harbor city in South Korea, reported the incident to the police. “We are currently examining whether the materials were produced using deepfake technology or through simpler methods of fabrication,” stated an official from the Ulsan Metropolitan Police. Due to the involvement of minors, the police refrained from disclosing specific details about the charges, highlighting the need for discretion in handling such cases. READ MORE
