This is a website where illegally filmed content is distributed and shared.

Access is possible without any special bypass procedures, and illegal footage of Koreans is categorized separately.

Another site is also operated in Korean and features a separate category for videos of Koreans.

According to a government analysis, the number of illegal filming sites that remain accessible reaches 6,700.

Among them, about 1,300 sites are operated in Korean or have Korea-related categories, and the number of Korea-related videos posted on them is estimated at approximately 2.15 million.

These sites make money through banner advertisements.

They generate advertising revenue by displaying gambling and prostitution ads on their homepages, and it was revealed that they receive anywhere from 500,000 won to as much as 3 million won per month for a single ad.

[Won Min-kyung / Minister of Gender Equality and Family: Considering the banner unit prices, it is estimated that a single illegal site generates at least 200 million won in criminal proceeds annually.]

Although the government has continuously requested the deletion of videos from such illegal distribution sites, more than 70,000 videos were not deleted last year alone, and even after site access was blocked, illegal operations continued for 3 to 7 years until the operators were apprehended.

As the suffering of victims continues, the government has decided to push for a legal revision to penalize the mere creation of illegal sites as an independent crime.

In addition, considering that investigations are difficult because most servers are located overseas, the government announced it will review the introduction of an active defense system, namely "legal hacking."

Measures such as police directly accessing illegal sites to delete illegally filmed content or completely shutting down the sites are also under review.

[Yoo Jae-seong / Acting Commissioner General of the Korean National Police Agency: In cases where the location of the original server is unknown or the suspect cannot be identified, execution must be carried out through a warrant, and cooperation with law enforcement agencies in other countries is also necessary, I believe.]

However, since launching legal hacking could lead the country where the server is located to perceive it as an attack or a violation of sovereignty, the government is reviewing related regulations by referencing cases from Australia and the United Kingdom, which have previously introduced the system.

Furthermore, to cut off the financial lifeline of illegal sites, the government plans to ban ad placements and push for suspension of transactions for accounts used to operate the sites.

(Reported by Cho Yun-ha | Produced by Lee Se-young | Video reporting by Cho Choon-dong and Kim Seung-tae | Video editing by Yoon Tae-ho | Produced by SBS Digital News)