- 2024 International Cooperation Conference on Copyright Protection held on June 25

- Cooperative work in investigative activities between Korea and the Philippines, and Korea and Vietnam

The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism (Minister Yu In Chon, MCST) and the Korea Copyright Protection Agency (President Park Jung Youl, KCOPA) convened the 2024 International Cooperation Conference on Copyright Protection on June 25 (Tue) to address criminal investigations related to copyright infringement of K-content and to establish an effective international cooperative investigation system. The conference was joined by over 70 participants, including representatives from the Philippine National Bureau of Investigation, Vietnam’s Ministry of Public Security, US Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), Interpol, and the Korean National Police Agency.

The MCST and the KCOPA are establishing an international cooperative system for investigation to jointly combat K-content copyright infringement crimes. This initiative began with the International Online Content Protection Seminar in 2022 and continued with the International Copyright Forensics Forum. Last year, the MCST and the KCOPA secured important investigative leads in Indonesia through international cooperation involving the Busan Metropolitan Police Agency, Interpol, and Indonesian authorities. This cooperation led to a joint arrest operation involving authorities from Korea, Indonesia, and Interpol, resulting in the apprehension of a suspect providing illegal IPTV[1] services to Korean residents.

During this conference, progress in investigating criminal cases of K-content copyright infringement in the Philippines and Vietnam was shared, along with discussions on future joint operational activities. Korea has decided to work closely with the Philippines and Vietnam respectively to enhance cooperation in international joint investigations of copyright crimes and the exchange of investigative information.

The MCST will continue collaborative work with the National Police Agency and Interpol to establish a thorough international investigation system to combat content piracy. In addition, the ministry will also track down organizations and operators who illegally distribute content, aiming to eradicate copyright infringement crimes that deprive creators revenues.

A policy officer from the MCST stated, “Copyright crimes, which occur across borders online overnight, cannot be solved by a single country alone. This international conference will serve as an opportunity to further strengthen the international network of coordinated investigations to protect copyright. We expect that K-content copyright infringement crimes will be prevented more effectively if investigative cooperation with local countries is achieved based on close cooperation between the MCST, the National Police Agency, Interpol, and the US Department of Homeland Security Investigations.”