Pirate operator Noono TV , TVWiki and Oktoon (Webtoon) was sentenced to three years in prison and the confiscation of 700 million won (about $ 510,000 ) in illicit gains. The decision took place on May 26, 2025 by the Daejeon District Court, in South Korea .
Pirate Webtoon websites accumulated billions of accesses
Yonhap News found that the defendant - identified as “Mr. A” - is among the greatest pirates in the history of Korea. After all, the Noono TV website registered 67.44 million monthly visits in August 2022, according to the Motion Picture Association (MPA), which brings together giants such as Disney, Netflix and Warner Bros.
In addition, you managed TVWiki, a site that stood out for circumventing court ordering in Korea. As detailed, it avoided blockages constantly altering the domains, such as TV52.wiki to TV58.wiki, and stored content on foreign servers using VPNs and cryptocurrencies to stay anonymous.
Oktoon violated thousands of works
Oktoon website , focused on webtoons piracy, also ended on November 9, 2024, the date of the operator's arrest. As the illegal webtoons response group revealed, the platform violated about 10,000 volumes and surprisingly attracted 5.6 million visits only in September 2024.
Companies such as Kakao Entertainment, WebTon, Ridi, Lezhin and Toomics requested the maximum penalty of five years, arguing that piracy demotivates creators and harms the entire K-Content industry. However, the Court considered the defendant's confession and his criminal record in defining the penalty.
The fight against piracy continues in Korea
The case emphasizes, in addition, the continuous challenge in combating digital piracy. The operator voluntarily ended Noonoo TV's activities, but the Korean authorities disabled TVwiki and Oktoon after their arrest.
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Source: Yonhap News
