[Alpha Biz= Kim Jisun] The operator of NunuTV, South Korea’s largest copyright-infringing website that illegally distributed hit K-content including the drama The Glory, has been sentenced to prison.
On May 26, Judge Ko Young-sik of the Daejeon District Court sentenced Mr. A (identity withheld), the operator of NunuTV, to three years in prison for violating copyright law and ordered the forfeiture of KRW 700 million (approx. USD 510,000).
Mr. A launched NunuTV in 2021 and illegally streamed domestic and international paid OTT content. Even after NunuTV was shut down in April 2023, he continued his illicit activities by launching and operating other piracy sites such as TVWiki for video content and OKToon for webtoons. Authorities estimate that each platform illegally distributed hundreds of thousands of video and webtoon files.
To attract users, Mr. A provided newly released content free of charge in exchange for exposing users to online gambling advertisements. To evade authorities, he operated the websites through overseas servers located in countries like the Dominican Republic and Paraguay, frequently changing domain names. He also employed P2P (peer-to-peer) streaming technology to reduce video transmission costs and illicitly obtained access to legitimate user accounts for uploading pirated content.
In an attempt to avoid detection, Mr. A used multiple VPNs, foreign credit cards, and cryptocurrency exchanges. He was eventually arrested in a coordinated international investigation involving South Korean cultural authorities, prosecutors, and Interpol. Authorities seized criminal proceeds including Bitcoin and luxury foreign vehicles, estimated to be worth between KRW 2.4 to 2.6 billion (approx. USD 1.75–1.9 million).
Judge Ko stated:
“The defendant committed systematic and prolonged copyright infringement for commercial gain through advertising revenue. Such crimes not only damage the creators’ ability to earn revenue but also undermine creative motivation and ultimately hinder cultural development.”
At its peak, NunuTV attracted over 10 million monthly users, offering free access to the latest dramas and films. The estimated economic damage caused by the illegal distribution is around KRW 5 trillion (approx. USD 3.6 billion).
알파경제 Kim Jisun (stockmk2020@alphabiz.co.kr)
