Deepfake Crimes Hit Busan Schools, Teachers Call for "Strong Punishment"
Recently, "deepfake" sex crimes misusing artificial intelligence technology have occurred in South Korean schools, causing great shock. In particular, concerns in the education sector are growing as incidents of stolen photos of faculty members in several schools in the Busan area have come to light.
According to police investigations, a man in his 30s, referred to as Mr. A, who managed computer equipment at elementary, middle, and high schools in Busan, committed these crimes. It was revealed that Mr. A secretly accessed the cloud accounts of faculty members while inspecting computers at 19 schools in the Busan area for about four years, from 2021 until recently.
Mr. A unauthorizedly extracted personal photos of teachers stored in the cloud. These stolen photos were reportedly used to create fake videos or images using deepfake technology. Many are expressing outrage over the fact that an employee of an external company, who should have been responsible for the school's safety and security, committed the crime instead.
As the incident became known, field teachers in the Busan area have come forward to demand strong punishment for the perpetrator. Teachers pointed out that school security systems could be easily breached by external personnel and emphasized the need for a more secure management system to protect the personal information of faculty and students.
Education authorities and the police are treating this case with gravity and are checking for additional victims. Furthermore, they plan to strengthen security procedures during future inspections of school computer equipment and further expand education for the prevention of digital sex crimes.