EDITOR’S LETTER
Hello. The second NEWS HERLIVERY of September is TOPIC EDITION. TOPIC EDITION, which brings you articles related to women's issues, focuses on articles related to the protest urging severe punishment for deepfake sexual exploitation hosted by the Joint Action to Denounce Misogynistic Violence scheduled for September 21. In addition to this protest, 144 women's, human rights, and civil society organizations from all over the country held an emergency rally at Bosin Pavilion in Seoul on September 6, and the Joint Action to OUT Deepfake Sexual Crimes organized by the Seoul Women's Association and others will continue the '#DeepfakeSexualCrimeOut Speech Contest' every Friday from the 13th to the 27th in front of Exit 10 of Gangnam Station. We have also compiled articles on the BBC analyzing the characteristics of deepfake sex crimes, where both the perpetrators and victims are overwhelmingly teenagers, the court’s lenient ruling that fails to recognize the seriousness of the situation, the journalistic ethics and media environment that report on it, and the international solidarity of women that has caused a great stir overseas.
In addition, we have prepared news of the dismissal of a Chosun Ilbo editorial writer who is known to have had sexually harassing conversations with a National Intelligence Service employee and female reporters, news of a ruling in favor of the plaintiff in a lawsuit filed by a victim of the “Busan roundhouse kick” against the perpetrator, which recognized the defendant’s liability for 100 million won in damages, and news that the amount of corporate cards used in entertainment establishments such as room salons last year exceeded 600 billion won.
These are articles that make us realize the reality of South Korea, which is running on sexual exploitation of women, from deepfake sex crimes to room salon entertainment. I hope that through these articles, women can take the time to think together about how to respond to such violence and pioneer the future. To all those who are attending the protest, I hope you have a safe trip. NEWS HERLIVERY will be back with more in-depth articles with depth and perspective in the next issue. Thank you.
- Best Wishes, Editor Oh Jin-dal-rae
‘Protest calling for severe punishment of deepfake sexual exploitation’ to be held at Hyehwa Station on the 21st
The ‘Deepfake Sexual Exploitation Punishment Call: Punish All Who Create, Sell, and See’ protest will be held in front of Exit 2 of Hyehwa Station in Jongno-gu, Seoul at 3 PM on the 21st.
This rally is hosted by the ‘Joint Action to Condemn Misogynistic Violence’ (hereafter, Joint Action), which was formed in November of last year around a women’s university in Seoul.
The Joint Action pointed out that “Deepfake sexual exploitation crimes are not new. For decades, women have been subjected to sexual harassment, insults, threats, stalking, and sexual assault by having their faces and personal information stuffed in male-only communities and group chats.”
The Joint Action continued to criticize, saying, “The state has downplayed the severity of the situation and has ignored the damage,” and “As a result, women are being exposed to sexual crimes at school, work, on the streets, and even at home, and women across the country are shaking with anxiety about whether they have become victims and giving up their daily lives.”
The Joint Action stated that “Sexual exploitation of women cannot be tolerated in any way. “We urge that perpetrators be severely punished, victims be protected, and digital sex crimes be eradicated, regardless of means and methods,” he explained.
The organizers asked participants to wear black and bring their own water bottles and cushions.
(Shin Da-in, Women News, 24.09.04)
After Deepfake ‘Self-Rescue’… Women Take to the Rally, Putting Their Heads Together
An emergency rally to urge the government to come up with proactive measures against sexual crimes using deepfakes (image and voice synthesis technology) will be held at 7 p.m. on the 6th at Bosin Pavilion in Jongno, Seoul. Following women’s efforts to “self-rescue” by directly seeking out sexual crime chatrooms and sharing codes of conduct through social media, they are gathering together in offline spaces to urge the government to take action.
144 women’s, human rights, and civil society organizations across the country announced on the 5th that they will hold an emergency rally to respond to Telegram deepfakes sexual violence at Bosin Pavilion in Seoul at 7 p.m. on the 6th with the theme, “Let’s achieve a daily life, not anxiety and fear!” They criticized, “Although digital sex crimes such as Soranet, Webhard Cartel, and Telegram sexual exploitation have occurred one after another, the government’s response has been insufficient, and instead, it has claimed (President Yoon Seok-yeol) that ‘there is no structural gender discrimination. ’” They added, “In line with the current government’s anti-women’s rights stance, women’s policies have seriously regressed, while online male culture has taken advantage of the platform’s profit structure and digital technology to reach the Telegram deepfake sexual violence incident.”
The ‘Joint Action to Condemn Misogynistic Violence’ (hereafter referred to as Joint Action), centered around university students in Seoul, will hold a protest calling for ‘strict punishment of deepfake sexual exploitation’ in front of Exit 2 of Hyehwa Station on Subway Line 4 in Seoul at 3 PM on the 21st. Under the slogan, ‘Punish all who created, sold, and watched,’ they plan to urge the government and the National Assembly to establish a system to punish all those who create, distribute, sell, or possess sexually exploitative materials, including illegal composite materials. The joint action group stated, “Even though it was confirmed that there were hundreds of group rooms producing and distributing not only deepfakes but also sexually exploitative materials at the time of the Nth Room incident, the government downplayed the severity of the situation and ignored the damage,” and “We urge that the perpetrators be severely punished, victims be protected, and digital sex crimes be eradicated without regard to means and methods.” Hyehwa Station on Subway Line 4 in Seoul is where tens of thousands of women gathered in 2018 to protest against illegal filming.
(Jeong In-sun, Hankyoreh, 24.09.05)
A look into the 'deepfake pornography' scandal that has engulfed Korean schools
Two days earlier, Hankyoreh reporter Ko Na-rin had a huge scoop.
Recently, the South Korean police were investigating a deepfake pornography ring at two major universities. Ko was certain that more such incidents were occurring.
In response, Ko began to investigate the world of social media, and discovered dozens of chatrooms on the messaging app Telegram where people would check if they knew a specific woman at the same time, and if they did, they would share photos of the woman with each other, and then use AI software to create fake pornographic images in seconds.
Ko told the BBC, “Every few minutes, I would get requests to upload photos of female acquaintances and synthesize them into deepfakes.”
Furthermore, Ko discovered that these chatrooms were not just targeting college students, but also targeting specific high school and even middle school students.
When deepfake images of specific students were produced in large quantities, individual chatrooms were created. These Telegram channels, which are widely called “rape rooms” or “double-acquaintance rooms,” often had strict membership requirements. (Omitted)
Reporter Ko recalled, “I was shocked by how systematic and organized it was,” and “It was most horrifying when I discovered a chat room with over 2,000 members, all of whom were minor students attending the same school.”
After reporter Ko’s article was published, women’s rights activists also began to comb through Telegram to track them down.
By the weekend, it was known that over 500 schools and universities across the country had been targeted. The actual number of victims has not yet been confirmed, but it is believed that many of them are under the age of 16, the legal age for consent for sexual intercourse under Korean law.
And many of the suspected perpetrators are also teenagers. (Omitted)
Meanwhile, Telegram is at the center of this incident. Unlike other public websites that authorities can easily access and request the deletion of certain content, Telegram is an encrypted, private messaging app.
Users can access anonymously, and can even set chat rooms to ‘secret’ mode. And conversations can be quickly deleted without a trace. This has led to a surge in criminal activity.
(Jean Mackenzie & Choi Ri-hyun, BBC News Korea, 24.09.03)
“It’s not reflective, crude, or obscene”: Courts are too lenient on deepfake sex crimes
In October 2020, Mr. A created deepfake (AI-based image synthesis technology) sexually exploitative materials of 11 people on a total of 52 occasions, including pasting a photo of his ex-girlfriend's face onto a video of a naked man and woman having sex. He also spread these composite materials along with the victims' real names on the social networking service (SNS) X 16 times. The targets of the crimes were his ex-girlfriends, college classmates, seniors and juniors, and his friends' ex-girlfriends. He also possessed 98 child and youth sexually exploitative materials on his cell phone. However, the punishment the court gave Mr. A was only 1 year and 6 months in prison with a 4-year suspension of execution. It was considered that Mr. A ① showed sincere remorse from the investigation stage, ② was a first-time offender who had never been criminally punished, ③ reached an agreement with the victims, and ④ maintained good ties with his family, making the possibility of a repeat offense low. Regarding the edited composite images that made it look like the victims were sexually aroused and raised their eyes, the court ruled that they were “⑤difficult to view as causing sexual shame to an ordinary person with social norms” and sentenced them not guilty. (Omitted)
Recent deepfake sex crime cases have been reported to involve teenage students or college students, targeting acquaintances. In fact, there were many cases in which the defendants were minors or had just become adults, or were first-time offenders with no prior criminal convictions.
The problem is that the court is actively taking into account these ‘defendant’s circumstances’. Some of the verdicts included phrases such as ‘the defendant was young, having just become an adult’, ‘he was a juvenile at the time of the crime, and had only recently become an adult at the time of the verdict, so he was relatively young’, and ‘he was still a first-time offender at the age of 15, so there was still a lot of time and possibility for him to change his behavior in the future’. Given the defendants’ young age, it was also acknowledged that the parents had expressed a ‘strong will to guide them’.
The court providing an opportunity for rehabilitation by reducing the sentence of the perpetrator because they are relatively young or are their first offense is a mitigating factor that is generally considered in other crimes, not just deepfake sex crimes. However, despite the fact that deepfake sex crimes often involve young or youthful perpetrators targeting their peers or social acquaintances, there is criticism that sentencing is unusually focused on the circumstances of the perpetrator. Kim Hye-jeong, the director of the Korea Sexual Violence Counseling Center, said, "It is a chronic problem that sentencing only considers the circumstances of the perpetrator, such as mentioning the fact that the punishment will affect the perpetrator's studies as a factor in mitigating the sentence," explaining, "Shouldn't the circumstances of the victim not be taken into account as well?"
(Lee Hyun-ju, Hankook Ilbo, 24.09.15)
Newsroom stance on deepfake sexual violence
Journalists who have recently covered and reported on deepfakes have had to endure a triple whammy. The shock from witnessing the crimes, the attacks targeting female reporters such as the ‘Reporter Synthesis Room’, and the worry about how to implement this in articles.
The primary pain was witnessing the crimes taking place in real time. Park Sang-hyeok, a reporter for Pressian who has reported on various aspects of deepfakes from various angles, confessed, “Watching the scenes of the perpetration was the hardest.” Reporter Park, a man, expressed, “The conversations of male perpetrators, the violence of the sexual exploitation materials they create, the way they do not view women as human beings, and the helplessness from seeing scenes of female reporters being sexually exploited.”
Naturally, female reporters also had concerns about the ‘Reporter Synthesis Room’. Park Go-eun, a reporter for Hankyoreh who first reported on the ‘220,000-member deepfake Telegram room’, said, “I knew all too well the level of their harm, so I couldn’t help but feel uneasy.” However, being ‘intimidated’ as they intended is the thing they most want to avoid. “Yes, that’s why we won’t stop reporting.”
The final destination of their concerns was how to present deepfake sexual crimes in articles. There were many concerns about conveying the reality of deepfake sexual violence, which is often referred to as ‘young boys’ pranks’ or ‘it’s just fiction,’ to readers and viewers. While refining and selecting expressions to avoid ‘secondary harm’ to victims, there were frequent conflicting judgments that the public would recognize the seriousness of the situation if the reality was shown as it was.
Jeong Ji-hye, a reporter for Segye Ilbo who exclusively reported on the existence of the ‘reporter synthetic room’, said that she felt skeptical about the format of ‘articles’ when covering deepfake sexual crimes. “The most difficult thing was that I couldn’t convey this (deepfake sex crime) as it is because articles have a set format and level of expression. The seriousness inevitably gets reduced as language is refined and images are reprocessed… Those things felt like a dilemma.” (Omitted)
When we think about the environment in the newsroom, we often see reporters rising to the surface and then sinking together with the topicality of the issue they are covering. Issues like deepfake sex crimes that are difficult to visualize and have concerns about sensationalism are even more likely to isolate reporters. This is because they cannot help but feel a lot of difficulty persuading the desk and the newsroom. However, these may be the ones who first ‘faced’ the situation. We need to take this incident as an opportunity to fiercely examine whether our media environment has protected these reporters well, created an environment where they can actively think about it, and, at the same time, have thought about it together.
(Lee Seul-ki, Media Today, 24.09.11)
“Deepfake Incident Has a Deep Impact on the Korean Women’s Movement… International Solidarity Is Natural”
“It was heartbreaking to see two Korean high school girls posting online about the ‘deepfake pornography scandal’ in Chinese to ask for help. It made me sad because it was clear that the Korean government didn’t care about us, just like the Chinese government.”
Nana, a Chinese feminist who organized a protest in London to condemn deepfake pornography crimes on Telegram in Korea, described her feelings when she first heard about the recent deepfake scandal in Korea. The ‘sadness’ she mentioned was not simply because she sympathized with the suffering of numerous female victims. Her sadness was rooted in her compassion and empathy for women living under a state and social system that was indifferent to their suffering.
Nana instinctively felt that ‘something had to be done,’ so she planned a protest that would march from Trafalgar Square in London to the Korean Embassy in the UK. Far exceeding expectations that only three or four Korean activists would participate, in just a few days, about 100 women from various countries, including Korea, China, and Japan, gathered on the streets on the evening of the 3rd (local time). There was also a lot of interest on social media about the first rally held overseas right after the incident. (Omitted)
They all said that Korean feminism had already created a big stir in China. They were also well aware of the “Uncomfortable Courage” (2018) protest that condemned biased investigations into illegal filming. They explained that the song “Into the New World” sung by Korean women at various protest sites is famous enough to be known and sung by feminists in many countries, not just China.
What they paid particular attention to was the “4B Movement” that Korean women have created a wave of. The new word 4B, which was created because the Chinese character “non-bi (非)” and the alphabet “B” are homonyms, refers to a lifestyle that does not involve sexual relations with men, childbirth, dating, and marriage. There has never been a collective movement to voluntarily reject and question what was considered a natural life task for women.
When Nana first learned about the 4B movement, she said, “It is dangerous to openly oppose the government, but I was impressed by the fact that they found a way to oppose it on an individual level in everyday life,” and “I think it is a way for individuals to effectively confront the state’s use of women as birthing machines.”
She then introduced the ‘boy sober’ trend, which was very popular on the video platform TikTok. This trend, which uses the word ‘sober’ to mean sober without being drunk, is known among Western Generation Z women to mean ‘cutting off men to avoid becoming mentally vulnerable.’ Analysis suggests that the 4B movement in Korea and the abortion ban ruling in the US had a big influence on this trend.
Nana said, “It is a really important experience for young women to try to enjoy their own lives and spaces as human beings, not as women who are obsessed with men.”
(Jeong Ji-hye, Segye Ilbo, 24.09.18)
Chosun Ilbo editorial writer dismissed for ‘sexually harassing female reporter’
It has been confirmed that the Chosun Ilbo editorial writer who was investigated for sexually harassing conversations between National Intelligence Service (NIS) employees and female reporters has been dismissed.
According to a comprehensive report from the Hankyoreh on the 19th, the Chosun Ilbo held a disciplinary committee meeting on the 12th and decided to dismiss editorial writer Lee A-mu. This disciplinary action was taken three weeks after the related report was released on the 21st of last month. A Chosun Ilbo official who requested anonymity said in a phone call with the Hankyoreh on the same day, “(After the disciplinary decision on the 12th) the deadline for filing an objection was the 19th. If the person subject to the disciplinary action files an objection, a retrial procedure will be initiated, and if they do not file an objection, the dismissal will be finalized.”
The Chosun Ilbo previously conducted a fact-finding investigation and suspended Lee from his duties, and held the first disciplinary committee meeting on the 2nd, but did not confirm whether or not to impose disciplinary action or the level of punishment. Afterwards, it requested an additional investigation from an “external organization,” and decided on this disciplinary action based on the results of the investigation. (Omitted)
After the report came out, as the Chosun Ilbo delayed its follow-up measures, internal discontent erupted among its members. In the Chosun Labor Union’s “Chosun Nobo” published last month, internal voices were published, such as “Chosun Ilbo is not a safe workplace for female reporters,” “This incident is not the misconduct of one perpetrator, but a problem that requires a thorough overhaul of our organizational culture,” and “If there is no thorough investigation and strict response at the company level, we all agree in silence.”
(Park Kang-su, Hankyoreh, 24.09.20)
‘Busan Roundhouse Kick’ Survivor Son Bae Wins… Court: “Pay 100 Million Won to the Offender”
The court has recognized the perpetrator of the so-called ‘Busan Roundhouse Kick’ incident, who brutally assaulted a woman in her 20s with the intent to sexually assault her, as the perpetrator was liable for damages.
On the 26th of last month, Judge Choi Young of the Civil Division 3 of the Busan District Court ruled in favor of the plaintiff in a lawsuit for damages filed by victim K against perpetrator Lee, ordering him to pay 100 million won.
On the morning of May 22, 2022, Ms. K was indiscriminately assaulted by Mr. Lee, who had chased him for about 10 minutes in the shared entrance of an officetel in Seomyeon, Jin-gu, Busan, causing dissociative amnesia, intracranial hemorrhage, and permanent disability with paralysis below the ankle. Mr. Lee was sentenced to 20 years in prison for attempted rape and murder. Ms. K is also in the process of seeking damages from the state for the faulty investigation. In the first argument held at the Seoul Central District Court in July, it was argued that the investigative agency did not inform Ms. K, who lost his memory immediately after the incident, of the suspected sexual assault, which resulted in missing the opportunity to collect evidence, and that the DNA analysis was also poorly conducted. (Omitted)
Attorney Son Bo-kyung (Baekkyung Law Firm), who represented Ms. K, said in a phone call with the Hankyoreh on the 5th, “Since the victim’s life was in serious danger at the time, we are seeking damages in an amount equivalent to that.” Attorney Son continued, “From the perspective of a crime victim, filing a civil suit is not easy because it means another legal battle with the perpetrator and the risk of personal information being revealed. Even if we win, there is no guarantee that we will receive damages because of the execution issue.” She explained, “Nevertheless, the victim mustered up the courage to file a civil suit and received recognition of the damages once again.”
(Kim Ji-eun, Hankyoreh, 24.09.06)
The scale of ‘law cards’ used in entertainment establishments such as room salons exceeds 600 billion won
It was revealed that the amount of corporate cards used in entertainment establishments such as room salons last year exceeded 600 billion won.
According to the data submitted by the National Tax Service to the office of Park Sung-hoon, a member of the People's Power Party, the amount of corporate cards used in entertainment establishments last year was 624.4 billion won, an increase of 60.6 billion won from 2022 (563.8 billion won).
This is 0.4% of the total amount of corporate cards used (176.5627 trillion won).
By entertainment establishment, the amount used in room salons was the highest at 340.7 billion won, followed by pubs (131.3 billion won) and restaurants (80.2 billion won).
Corporate cards were also used in theater-style restaurants (54.4 billion won) and nightclubs (17.8 billion won).
The amount of corporate card usage in entertainment establishments exceeded 1 trillion won in the early 2010s, but gradually decreased to 860.9 billion won in 2019.
After that, due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, it decreased to 212 billion won in 2021, but has been rapidly increasing again since the endemic.
(Kim Hye-Ju, KBS News, 24.09.16)
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