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Korean Appeals Court Sentences Operator Behind NunuTV, OKToon Piracy Sites to 4.5 Years in Prison
posted on by Wonhee Cho
The Daejeon High Court's Criminal Appeals Division on November 13 sentenced the operator behind the illegal streaming site NunuTV and the webtoon piracy site OKToon to four years and six months in prison for copyright infringement. The sentence was harsher than the initial three-year term issued by a lower court in May. The court also ordered the confiscation of KRW 374.7 million (approx. US$287,000) in illicit profits.
The Digital Comics Anti-Piracy Committee (DCAPA) — whose members include RIDI, Naver Webtoon, Kakao Entertainment, KidariStudio, and Lezhin Entertainment — welcomed the ruling, and issued a statement on November 18 stating the verdict reflects “a strict judicial stance that acknowledges the seriousness of copyright crimes.” The group noted that the decision aligns with ongoing calls from the industry for stronger penalties to protect creators.
The 31-year-old operator, identified as A, had repeatedly operated illegal streaming platforms despite having served prison time for similar offenses. The new court ruling stated the original sentence was “too light given the scale of profit and the disruption inflicted on the content distribution market.”
DCAPA highlighted that the appeals court explicitly cited “strong petitions for stern punishment” submitted by rights holders — including joint statements from webtoon platforms and broadcasters — suggesting that industry-wide appeals were meaningfully taken into account during sentencing.
The organization stressed that illegal webtoon sites “undermine creators' legitimate rights and damage the content industry at its core,” warning that piracy poses a serious threat at a time when K-webtoons are achieving rapid global growth. DCAPA added that penalties for operators of illegal piracy sites have long been considered too lenient compared with the scale of financial harm inflicted on creators and publishers. The committee said the ruling establishes a clearer judicial standard for copyright cases and sends a strong warning to those seeking illegal profit through copyright violations. “We hope this decision serves as a firm precedent that copyright crimes will be met with strict punishment,” DCAPA said, pledging continued collaboration with industry stakeholders to build a healthier digital content ecosystem.
A was arrested in November 2024 by The Copyright Crime Forensic Investigation Team under Korea's Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism (MCST).
Source: SBS (Dong-pil Kim)
