SEOUL - South Korea is set to enact a significant legislative change targeting the use of AI-generated deepfake technology in political campaign videos. This development follows the approval of a revision to the Public Official Election Act by a special parliamentary committee on Tuesday.
According to Yonhap News Agency, the revised legislation, individuals who distribute or showcase political campaign videos created using deepfake technology during the 90 days leading up to an election could face severe penalties. These include a maximum prison sentence of seven years or a fine up to 50 million won. Additionally, the revision mandates creators to clearly inform viewers when synthetic information is used in deepfake videos, even if these are posted outside the 90-day pre-election period.
The law, pending final approval by the parliament, is set to become effective on January 11, 2024, ahead of the general elections scheduled for April. This move aligns South Korea with global efforts to regulate the use of deepfake technology in political advertising, addressing growing concerns about the potential for such content to mislead and confuse voters on a large scale.
Major technology companies, including Google LLC and Meta Platforms Inc., the parent company of Facebook, have already revised their policies to require disclaimers on deepfake-generated political ads. In a similar vein, the U.S. Federal Election Commission has initiated procedures to regulate campaign videos employing this technology for the 2024 elections.
The use of deepfake technology in political ads is not a new phenomenon in South Korea. During the 2022 presidential elections, both then-candidate President Yoon Suk Yeol and his opponent Lee Jae-myung, who is now the main opposition leader, featured AI-generated replicas of themselves in their campaign materials.