South Korean Authorities Shut Down Country’s Largest Webtoon Pirate Site

On August 1st, South Korean authorities arrested the owner of Agitoon, the country’s largest webtoon piracy site. Korean publishers, in collaboration with the Ministry of Culture, are intensifying efforts to shut down all illegal sites hosting webtoons.

South Korean Authorities Shut Down Country’s Largest Webtoon Pirate Site

According to the government, Agitoon was the largest illegal webtoon and web novel sharing site. The platform illegally hosted approximately 2.5 million web novels and 746,835 webtoons, as reported by the Ministry of Culture. It is estimated that Agitoon generated 120 million won (about $91,600) over the past six months through illegal advertisements for gambling, prostitution, and more.

To conceal his identity, Agitoon’s owner accessed the site using a VPN and covered operating costs through a Chinese PayPal account, according to South Korea’s Ministry of Culture.

The government seized Agitoon’s domain and promptly shut the site down. “Recent copyright infringement crimes are becoming more globalized and sophisticated, utilizing foreign servers, VPNs, and international money laundering, among other tactics,” said Jung Hyang-mi, Director General of the Copyright Bureau at the Ministry of Culture, in a statement on Tuesday.

He added, “The Ministry of Culture will do its utmost to protect the legitimate rights of creators by cooperating with other government ministries and strengthening joint international investigations, even in challenging circumstances.”

via Você Sabia Anime