South Korea sets up new anti-piracy unit as part of crackdown

South Korea is to step up its efforts to crack down on online piracy websites, it has been reported.

In a press release issued on January 2, the Korean Communication Standards Commission announced the establishment of a new anti-piracy enforcement unit, the Copyright Infringement Response Team.

The news comes as the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism announced this week that Korean authorities shut down 25 piracy websites last year, with criminal charges to follow, TorrentFreak reported.

Of the 13 people arrested in connection to online piracy last year, some are to face criminal charges and claims for civil damages, the report said.

South Korea has stepped up its efforts to block piracy websites in recent years. A 2018 report from the Motion Picture Association (MPA) found that South Korea’s blocking policy had been largely successful in reducing visits to infringing websites.

According to the report, “visits to blocked sites declined on average 90% as of three months after a block”.

The new response team will reinforce the blocking policy. According to TorrentFreak, the unit will aim to deal with ‘mirror’ and ‘proxy’ sites which allow access to previously blocked web pages within four days.