Digital sex crimes against minors in Korea rise nearly 30-fold in 7 years

Digital sex crimes against minors in Korea have surged nearly 30-fold in seven years, with victims aged 19 or younger reaching 3,052 last year. The National Center for Digital Sexual Crime Response said that was the first annual total above 3,000 since it began collecting the data in 2018. Experts warned that Korea’s response is lagging as AI-generated sexual content, including deepfakes, spreads and that prevention education is needed alongside enforcement.

The National Center for Digital Sexual Crime Response said 3,052 victims aged 19 or younger sought help last year, up from 111 in 2018.

Minors and people in their 20s accounted for more than 77 percent of all victims.

The center’s overall assistance cases rose from roughly 33,000 in 2018 to more than 352,000 in 2025.

More than 90 percent of the support involved requests to remove unlawful content, and many of the platforms hosting it were based overseas.

Published Sep 11, 2026 4:14 pm KST

The number of teenagers and younger children reporting digital sex crimes in Korea jumped nearly 30-fold in just seven years, underscoring the growing vulnerability of young people to sexual exploitation online.

According to data from the state-run National Center for Digital Sexual Crime Response, the number of victims aged 19 or younger who sought help from the center last year was 3,052, up from 111 in 2018 when the organization began collecting relevant data.

It was the first time the annual figure of reported victims in that age group exceeded 3,000, reflecting a concerning pattern that digital sex crimes aided by emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI) are increasingly affecting younger people. Minors and people in their 20s accounted for more than 77 percent of all victims.

Younger people are among the most active users of social media and online services, which can increase their exposure to digital sex crime risks, according to the center.

Meanwhile, the overall volume of assistance provided by the center also surged, rising from roughly 33,000 cases in 2018 to more than 352,000 in 2025. More than 90 percent of the support involved requests to remove unlawful content, a task made more difficult by the fact that many of the platforms hosting such material are based overseas.

During a recent forum held on the issue, experts warned that Korea’s response is struggling to keep pace with the rapid spread of AI-generated sexual content, particularly deepfakes. They noted that teenagers also make up a large share of criminal suspects, highlighting the need for stronger prevention education alongside law enforcement.

韩国针对未成年人的数字性犯罪案件在七年内激增近30倍，去年19岁及以下受害者人数达到3052人。韩国国家数字性犯罪应对中心表示，这是自2018年开始收集相关数据以来，年度总数首次超过3000人。专家警告称，随着包括深度伪造在内的AI生成性内容的传播，韩国的应对措施滞后，除了加强执法外，还需要开展预防教育。

美国国家数字性犯罪应对中心表示，去年有 3052 名 19 岁或以下的受害者寻求帮助，而 2018 年这一数字为 111 人。

未成年人和20多岁的人占所有受害者的77%以上。

该中心援助案件总数从 2018 年的约 33,000 件增加到 2025 年的超过 352,000 件。

超过 90% 的支持请求都与删除非法内容有关，而托管这些内容的平台大多位于海外。

发布于2026年9月11日下午4:14（韩国标准时间）

韩国青少年和儿童举报网络性犯罪的人数在短短七年内增长了近 30 倍，凸显了年轻人越来越容易受到网络性剥削。

根据国营国家数字性犯罪应对中心的数据，去年向该中心寻求帮助的 19 岁或以下受害者人数为 3,052 人，而 2018 年该组织开始收集相关数据时，这一数字仅为 111 人。

这是该年龄段年度报告受害者人数首次超过3000人，反映出一个令人担忧的趋势：借助人工智能等新兴技术，数字性犯罪正日益影响年轻人。未成年人和20多岁的年轻人占所有受害者的77%以上。

该中心表示，年轻人是社交媒体和在线服务最活跃的用户群体之一，这可能会增加他们遭受网络性犯罪风险的机会。

与此同时，该中心提供的援助总量也大幅增长，从 2018 年的约 33,000 起增加到 2025 年的超过 352,000 起。超过 90% 的援助涉及删除非法内容的请求，由于许多托管此类内容的平台都位于海外，这项任务变得更加困难。

在近期举行的一次相关论坛上，专家警告称，韩国应对人工智能生成的色情内容（尤其是深度伪造内容）快速传播的措施力度不足。他们指出，青少年在犯罪嫌疑人中占很大比例，这凸显了加强预防教育与执法工作同等重要。