South Korea is aiming to impose strict penalties on AI-generated pornography featuring virtual characters, equating it with the legal treatment of deepfake content involving actual individuals. If the proposed legislation is enacted, those found guilty of producing or sharing such material could face up to seven years in prison or hefty fines reaching 50 million won (approximately $35,000). Even simply possessing or viewing this type of content could lead to a maximum sentence of three years in prison under the most severe conditions. Lawmakers are also looking to penalize individuals who create AI-generated adult content solely for personal use without public dissemination. This legislative effort was sparked by the controversial acquittal of a man who was charged with distributing deepfake images of naked women in a Telegram chat group, as investigators could not establish that the images featured real people. Advocates for the new law argue that this situation, where there appear to be "no victims, no case," represents a legal loophole that needs to be addressed to safeguard individuals from the ramifications of AI-generated fakes. However, legal experts contend that one cannot simply equate virtual characters with actual people, suggesting that the same legal consequences should not apply to both virtual and real-world images that have caused harm to living individuals. The proposed law has faced significant backlash from social media users, leading some local platforms to begin concealing adult content sections. "Even North Korea doesn't do that," remarked one user. The debate continues: Should individuals face imprisonment for AI-generated erotic material?
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