Call center for digital crimes hit with 20% budget cut

Next year's budget for a state-run call center for victims of digital crimes has been cut by nearly 20 percent, while the country sees a rise in such crimes, government data showed Tuesday.

The Korea Communications Commission's 2025 budget for protection of internet users -- which is used to operate the Online Damage 365 Center for victims of digital crimes -- has been revealed to be 921 million won ($690,000), according to KCC data submitted to Rep. Hwang Jung-a of the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea.

This is down from 1.15 billion won in 2024, 1.08 billion won in 2023 and 1.32 billion won in 2022.

The center provides consultation services for victims of various crimes that occur online, ranging from defamation and infringement of privacy to sexual crimes. Victims can apply for consultation via its homepage, email or the toll-free number 142-235.

In light of sexual extortion cases concerning deepfake technology -- particularly doctored pornographic images and videos -- the call center has launched a separate hotline at 1377 exclusively for reporting such crimes. But the recent data shows the budget for the center has actually decreased.

"The KCC is spending nearly 400 million won in legal fees for its own controversies, yet it has cut nearly 20 percent of the budget for the online call centers that deal with digital sexual crimes," Hwang said, accusing the commission of neglecting issues that matter to the public.