South Korea to criminalise watching or possessing sexually explicit deepfakes

South Korean lawmakers on Thursday passed a bill that criminalises possessing or watching sexually explicit deepfake images and videos, with penalties set to include prison terms and fines.

Anyone purchasing, saving or watching such material could face up to three years in jail or be fined up to 30 million won (US$22,600), according to the bill.

Currently, making sexually explicit deepfakes with the intention of distributing them is punishable by five years in prison or a fine of 50 million won under the Sexual Violence Prevention and Victims Protection Act.

When the new law takes effect, the maximum sentence for such crimes will also increase to seven years regardless of the intention.