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An operator of a peer-to-peer (P2P) site, who distributed obscene materials, including child sexual exploitation videos, earning around 10 billion won annually, has been arrested. The site was reportedly used by approximately 8 million members.

Distribution of Child Sexual Abuse Material: Proving Charges Difficult

The Seoul Seocho Police Station arrested and sent the site operator, Lee (43), to prosecutors without detention on January 14, on charges of violating the Child and Youth Protection Law, aiding and abetting, and violating the Copyright Act. Lee was found to have continuously distributed at least 5,000 unauthorized obscene materials through the site, including videos featuring minors under titles such as "Sex Education for Children" and "Child in School Uniform."

P2P sites have become a breeding ground for the distribution of illegal obscene materials and digital sex crime materials. P2P sites are platforms where individuals can share files directly over the internet, and while the operation of such sites is legal, distributing unauthorized content, including obscene materials, is illegal.

According to data received by Representative Lee Hoon-gi from the National Assembly's Science, Technology, Broadcasting, and Communications Committee from the Korea Communications Standards Commission (KCSC), the KCSC requested corrections on 42,407 instances of digital sex crime materials in the first half of this year. Of these, 99% (42,138 cases) were found on P2P sites and illegal overseas sites. Twitter had 188 cases, and Telegram had 78.

Incentivizing Distribution of Obscene Materials

According to Dong-A Ilbo’s investigation, Lee encouraged users who uploaded a large volume of obscene materials by offering them higher revenue shares. For example, if a user uploaded one obscene video, they would receive 20% of the revenue, but uploading large volumes could increase their share to up to 50%. The remaining revenue was kept by Lee and his corporation, generating large profits. A police official noted, “With the rise of illegal streaming sites, demand for P2P sites has decreased, leading to more cases where offenders are generating profits through the distribution of sex crime materials and obscene content.”

Challenges in Proving Charges

The issue lies in the difficulty of prosecuting P2P site operators for distributing obscene content. While operating P2P sites is legal, operators often deny involvement, claiming they were unaware of the users’ actions in uploading or sharing obscene materials. This makes it difficult for the police to prove the operators’ culpability.

In this case, the police focused on proving that Lee failed to sufficiently monitor and manage the site. As a result, Lee later confessed to his crimes.

The Growing Problem of Illegal Streaming Sites

In addition to the P2P site operated by Lee, illegal streaming sites also host illegal videos. According to the KCSC, the number of sites blocked for violating the Copyright Act has increased from 3,517 in 2021 to 7,176 last year. Many of these sites are hosted on overseas servers, making it challenging to identify the operators, suggesting that the scale of illegal streaming sites is even larger.

These illegal streaming sites do more than just distribute pirated content. They also illegally promote gambling, adult content, and prostitution sites, generating advertising revenue. For example, the operator of the illegal site NunuTV was found to have earned at least 33.3 billion won through illegal advertisements.

Blocking the 'Money Flow' as a Fundamental Solution

It is practically difficult to apprehend all those involved in distributing illegal videos or profiting from them. Experts suggest that the key to solving this issue lies in cutting off the 'money flow.' The Korea Copyright Protection Agency has recommended blocking advertisements on illegal sites to cut off the main source of income for the operators. Countries like the UK, EU, and the US involve rights holders (advertisers) in the process of blocking advertisements or maintaining lists of websites that infringe copyrights.