South Korea Takes Decisive Action Against Online Piracy with Landmark NunuTV Operator Sentencing

• South Korea arrested the operator behind the NunuTV piracy streaming platform.
• This high-profile crackdown resulted in the seizure of $1.9 million, luxury vehicles, and bitcoin.
• The individual faces prison and a fine for systematic copyright infringement and profit-driven criminal activity.

South Korea’s ongoing battle against digital copyright infringement reached a milestone in late May 2025 with the sentencing of the operator behind NunuTV, once the nation’s largest pirate streaming platform. 

NunuTV became the focus of enforcement initiatives led by the Video Copyright Protection Council (VCPC) and the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism (MCST). 

At its peak, it counted tens of millions of users per month and facilitated more than 1.5 billion illicit views of movies and TV episodes.

Despite frequent domain switching and the use of remote servers, VPNs, and cryptocurrencies for obfuscation, authorities sustained relentless pressure, ultimately leading to the site’s closure in April 2023.

The saga intensified with the November 2024 arrest of ‘Person A’, identified as the operator of NunuTV, as well as associated piracy sites TVWiki and OKTOON. The operation resulted from a joint international investigation, with critical support from INTERPOL. 

Authorities seized significant assets, including $1.9 million in cash equivalents, luxury vehicles, and 14 bitcoins.

On May 26, 2025, Judge Koh Young-sik of the Daejeon District Court sentenced ‘Person A’ to three years in prison and a fine of 700 million won (approximately US $512,000) for systematic copyright infringement and profit-driven criminal activity under the Copyright Act. 

The verdict highlights the evolving legal toolkit for prosecution, including asset forfeiture and multi-domain tracking, in response to the increasingly sophisticated tactics favored by piracy networks.

This decisive law enforcement success illustrates a shift in the cyber-threat landscape in the Asia-Pacific region. It also marks the operational value of cross-sector collaboration and technical sophistication in modern copyright enforcement. 

Continuing initiatives, such as INTERPOL’s I-SOP (Stop Online Piracy) phase two, promise further disruption to digital piracy ecosystems globally.