Culture Minister Chae Hwi-young ordered the immediate blocking of 34 copyright-infringing sites on May 11, marking the first action under a revised copyright law aimed at curbing online piracy of webtoons and novels.
Minister Chae Hwi-young acted against major platforms including Newtoki. Internet service providers such as LG Uplus, SK Broadband, KT and Samsung SDS will deny access after completing internal procedures.
A committee under the Korea Copyright Protection Agency will decide within five days whether to formally block the 34 sites, after which the minister will confirm the decision. The step is the first under the revised Copyright Act, which took effect Monday after months of preparation and allows immediate restrictions on illegal content.
The government is strengthening protection of intellectual property for one of the country's fastest-growing cultural exports. The ministry plans to expand the emergency measures and monitor operators for attempts to create replacement sites. Chae said in a statement that operators will not easily give up unlawful profits and pledged swift action to limit the sites' lifespan.
