"'Newtoki' has struck again. However, we will not be caught off guard. We will pursue and block it in any form," said Choi Hwi-young, South Korea's Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism, on May 28. He pledged to relentlessly track down the country's largest illegal webtoon and web novel distribution site, 'Newtoki', and warned that legal action would be taken against content delivery network (CDN) providers that support such illegal operations.
During the 3rd meeting of the Cultural Arts Policy Advisory Committee's Webtoon Subcommittee held at the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art in Jongno, Seoul, Minister Choi assured the webtoon industry that the government would "catch 'Newtoki' to the end."
The government has implemented an emergency blocking system for copyright infringement sites since May 11, but 'Newtoki' has been evading authorities by frequently changing its domain, leading to a cat-and-mouse chase.
Industry representatives at the meeting unanimously agreed that 'Newtoki' must be eradicated as it plays a central role in illegal distribution. Kim Byeong-soo, president of the Regional Comic Webtoon Association, stated, "Other illegal sites take webtoons from 'Newtoki' and use them. If 'Newtoki' is caught, small illegal distributors will be unable to upload content."
The operator of 'Newtoki' is reportedly a South Korean who naturalized in Japan in 2022. While the industry is calling for the operator's extradition to South Korea, there has been no visible progress to date.
Minister Choi emphasized, "We will move faster than the rabbit," referring to 'Newtoki'. He stated, "The government, which has the power of public authority, must not turn a blind eye to criminal acts." The Ministry of Culture has secured emergency blocking authority for illegal content distribution sites through amendments to copyright law. As a result of the government's swift action, the amendments were passed in four months, and the system has been in effect since May 11.
Minister Choi particularly stressed the need for a strong response against CDN providers. CDNs operate by replicating content from overseas servers to domestic servers, which allows illegal sites to circumvent access blocks imposed by internet service providers (ISPs).
He noted, "I heard that the copyright holder of the Japanese manga 'One Piece' won a lawsuit against a CDN provider," emphasizing that all businesses must make every effort to protect copyright, or they risk exposure to lawsuits.
Four major Japanese publishers, including Shueisha, which publishes 'One Piece', successfully sued the U.S. CDN provider Cloudflare for approximately 500 million yen (about $4.7 million) in damages for providing services to pirate manga sites.
Concerns were also raised about illegal webtoon sites luring teenagers to illegal gambling sites. Comic artist Won Soo-yeon pointed out, "Teenagers enter illegal sites to read free comics and end up on a path that ruins their lives. Serious issues arise, such as gambling and gaming with their parents' credit cards."
Minister Choi stated, "Illegal webtoon sites are generating revenue through illegal gambling advertisements," and warned that if related businesses, including CDN providers, do not take necessary actions and allow these sites to operate, they will face pressure to take responsibility.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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