Deepfake Horror: South Korea's Battle Against Digital Trauma

South Korea is grappling with a surge of non-consensual deepfake content targeted primarily at women. With most perpetrators being teenage boys, the phenomenon is deepening gender divides and causing trauma. Recent legal revisions aim to mitigate the crisis, but societal challenges remain significant.

South Korea is witnessing a crisis with the proliferation of non-consensual deepfake videos and images, mainly targeting women. This digital plague predominantly involves teenage boys creating and spreading explicit content, exacerbating gender tensions across the nation.

This came to a head recently when the South Korean parliament revised a law, making it illegal to watch or possess deepfake porn content. Observers pinpoint the scarcity of sex and human rights education in schools and misogynistic cultural norms as exacerbating factors.

The urgency of the situation has prompted protests, forums, and crackdowns, yet the problem persists. Experts warn that inadequate responses risk deepening divides in a country already marred by gender role controversies and social inequalities.

(With inputs from agencies.)