Siena:The illegal distribution of Korean content overseas reached nearly 500 million cases in 2025. This marks the highest number recorded since data collection began in 2022.
According to Yonhap News Agency, Data submitted to Rep. Jeong Jun-ho of the ruling Democratic Party by the Korea Copyright Protection Agency showed a total of 493.6 million reported cases, an increase of 19.2 percent compared to the previous year.
Webtoons accounted for the majority of piracy cases at 66.5 percent, while films and broadcasts made up 33.5 percent. English was the primary language for 46.6 percent of the pirated content, followed by Chinese at 20.4 percent and Southeast Asian languages at 15.7 percent.
The percentage of English-language pirated content decreased by 17 percentage points from the previous year, whereas content in Southeast Asian and European languages, including Vietnamese, Thai, Spanish, and French, saw an increase.
Despite the significant number of piracy cases, only 243,374 of the illegally distributed pieces of content were removed, representing less than 0.1 percent of the total cases.
Lawmaker Jeong has urged for an expansion of the teams monitoring digital piracy and emphasized the need for enhanced cooperation with international authorities.