Over 500 South Korean schools and universities have been overwhelmed with deepfake pornography, humiliating students and causing outrage amongst the broader general public.

The deepfakes have reportedly been primarily distributed through the messaging app Telegram, where anonymous users have been sharing pornographic images and video manipulated using AI. The images typically involve superimposing the faces of real individuals onto explicit bodies, causing distress and humiliation for the victims.

Journalist Ko Narin uncovered the scandal, revealing numerous Telegram chat groups where users were actively sharing photos of women they knew and transforming them into deepfakes. These groups targeted not only university students but also high school and middle school students, often creating dedicated "humiliation rooms" for specific victims.

The crisis sparked public outrage and calls for stricter regulations. Women's rights activists criticised the authorities for not addressing the issue sooner, and The Advocacy Centre for Online Sexual Abuse Victims reported a sharp increase in the number of underage victims seeking help.

The Sout