The homepage of an illegal content distribution website that has been shut downMINISTRY OF CULTURE, SPORTS AND TOURISM
The Korean government joined forces with Interpol and Naver Webtoon to crack down on online content piracy based in North Africa as part of efforts to protect domestic creators' copyrights.
The Korean Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism tracked and shut down three illegal content piracy sites based in the North African region and arrested one local operator of such services, in cooperation with the Korean National Police Agency, Interpol, Korean police personnel stationed in the region, local law enforcement authorities and Naver Webtoon.
The three English-language sites had operated since July 2024 and had distributed a total of 83,688 pieces of unauthorized content, including 30,926 Korean webtoons and 5,202 web novels, according to the ministry. About 57 percent of the material available on the sites was Korean content.
Naver Webtoon said around 300 of its titles had been scanned, translated and distributed without permission through the sites. Combined annual visits to the three sites exceeded 130 million, according to data from Similarweb cited by the company, with more than 20 million visits recorded over the most recent three-month period. The Korean content industry estimates the sites caused about 20 billion won ($1.4 million) in annual losses, according to the ministry.
The three sites were not merely redistributing pirated content from elsewhere. They created their own unauthorized scans and English translations, which were then copied and reposted by other piracy sites.
The investigation began in March, based on data compiled by Naver Webtoon’s antipiracy team, according to the ministry. Korean authorities then sought cooperation from local investigators through Interpol’s I-SOP (Stop Online Piracy) project, a Korea-backed initiative that supports international enforcement against digital piracy and copyright infringement. All three sites were shut down in mid-July, and their operator was arrested by local law enforcement. Judicial proceedings are underway.
The logo of Naver WebtoonWEBTOON ENTERTAINMENT
The latest case follows a similar operation in May, when the culture ministry worked with Naver Webtoon and Vietnamese authorities to close three Vietnam-based English-language piracy sites. Those sites recorded more than 1.1 billion combined annual visits, according to the company.
“Copyright infringement targeting K-content is becoming increasingly sophisticated and widespread as the global profile of K-content continues to grow,” said Kim Jae-hyun, director general of the Culture and Media Industry Office at the Culture Ministry. “We will continue to strengthen cooperation with international organizations such as Interpol and overseas investigative authorities, while working closely with the domestic industry to protectcopyrights for K-content."
