Operator of illegal webtoon platform OKTOON arrested.

The South Korean Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism (MCST) has dropped a bombshell! In November, the operators of the country's largest illegal streaming sites, including OKTOON, were arrested. A special copyright crime investigation team had been investigating for months, but the announcement wasn't made until December 20th.

The Site Was Extremely Popular

OKTOON quickly became a top target in the fight against piracy due to its surging popularity. Hollywood's Motion Picture Association (MPA) even labeled the "enterprise" a notorious piracy market.

In a letter to the US government, the MPA stated that TVWIKI had millions of visitors each month, nearing 40 million in August 2024. At that time, it used the domain tv51.wiki, but it regularly changed domain addresses in an attempt to circumvent Korea's strict blocking measures.

Pulled the Plug!

The Copyright Crime Investigation Division, together with the Prosecutor's Office, the Police, the National Intelligence Service, the U.S. Homeland Security Investigations Korea Office, and Interpol, arrested Mr. A on the 9th of last month. Simultaneously, the domains of the illegal webtoon sites Nunu TV, TVWiki, and OKToon were seized, and access was blocked.

The websites OKTOON, Nunu TV, and TVWiki are now offline. If you try to access the sites, you will only see the seizure notice from the authorities. The sites have been effectively shut down.

Furthermore, they confiscated two luxury cars, a fancy watch, and cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin, all obtained as proceeds from criminal activity.

Accounts Purchased for Piracy

The modus operandi of the OKTOON operators is quite interesting. They systematically collected legitimate user accounts from Korean webtoon platforms. They bought these from vendors on the darknet, who had obtained them through theft or fraud.

He simply copied the login credentials and used them to mass-copy webtoons (Korean online comics) from the original webtoon platforms. He then made them available on his platform "OKTOON." Visitors to his website could read the webtoons for free.

His other two sites, Nunu TV and TVWiki, are warez sites. This means they provide illegal movie and series streams. Often, the websites are located on the same web server. When investigators investigate multiple websites, they can identify vulnerabilities.

Words from Director Jeong Hyang-mi

Director Jeong Hyang-mi proudly announces: "The arrest of the OKTOON operator is the biggest success since the introduction of the 'K-Content Illegal Distribution Eradication Plan' and the establishment of the Copyright Crime Forensic Investigation Team. It also shows that the operators of illegal websites who threaten the rights of domestic copyright holders can no longer escape our investigation network."

The investigations are even expanding, as Japan and South Korea have joined forces to target eight more piracy portals in Brazil. The Japanese Content Overseas Distribution Association (CODA) is working closely with the South Korean Copyright Overseas Promotion Association (COA).

Of the eight suspected websites, three were discovered by a CODA member, while the other five came to light through the illegal distribution of webtoons.

Conclusion

I think this is just the beginning. There will certainly be more arrests in the fight against illegal streaming sites worldwide. The sites are being deleted at a rapid pace, also thanks to the Alliance for Creativity and Entertainment, or ACE.