Access to sites with pirated content blocked under copyright law revision

The government ordered that access to 34 pirated content sites be blocked on Monday, the first day a copyright law revision went into effect.

The websites were designated based on the criteria of clarity regarding illegality, the urgency of preventing future harm and the absence of any alternative resolution. The websites — including Newtokki, a major comic and video piracy site — have not been shut down, but access has been restricted.

A revision to the Copyright Act that was passed in January went into effect on Monday, allowing the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism to order network operators to block user access to websites that repeatedly commit copyright offenses, namely piracy.

Prior to revision, the consequences of copyright offenses were determined by the Korea Communications Commission's review committee.

The Culture Ministry will tighten its crackdown on content piracy. The ministry will make full use of the blocking measures granted by the revised law and streamline procedures to speed up the process in the future.

"We recognize that the admins of the illegal websites won't easily give up profits despite the government's firm stance," said Culture Minister Chae Hwi-young. "We will reduce the lifespan of illegal websites to the fullest extent, no matter how uphill the battle might be."

BY LEE JI-WON [lee.jiwon10@joongang.co.kr]