Noonoo TV deletes pirated Korean TV dramas, films

Noonoo TV, a Korea-based illegal streaming site, has deleted hundreds of pirated Korean TV dramas and movies from their website.

Ranging from star-studded 2022 film “Emergency Declaration” to smash hit drama series “Yumi’s Cells” (2021) and “Work Later, Drink Now,” (2021), a total of 169 TV dramas and movies were taken off Noonoo TV, as of Thursday.

Pirated from local streaming platforms such as Wavve, Coupang Play, Watcha, Tving and Seezn, comedies and variety shows including “Saturday Night Live Korea” and “Zero Sum Game” were also among the list.

The action followed an announcement by Noonoo TV earlier Thursday that the platform seeks to protect the rights of copyright owners by deleting all South Korean creative content that were taken mainly from local streaming platforms.

The streaming site will not accept any requests for local video streamers' creative content, according to Noonoo TV.

“All local creative content will be erased within this week. Please send us an email, if the materials that are serviced on local streaming platforms remain on the site. We will cooperate and help to protect the rights of copyright owners,” a Noonoo TV announcement quoted its official as saying.

Noonoo TV added that the content will be permanently be deleted from the site.

To tackle copyright infringement and digital piracy, the Korean Copyright Commission, local production company Studio LuluLala, video streamers Wavve, Tving and South Korean broadcasters KBS, MBC, JTBC launched the Alliance for Protection of Videogram on March 8. APV filed a criminal complaint against Noonoo TV with the authorities the same day.

While the site was blocked several times in the past, the website managed to bypass firewalls and continue operations, accumulating more than 1.5 billion views for its video content as of Feb. 3, a number larger than that of any other local streaming platform, APV said.