A, 37, who ran the site "Manamoa" that illegally copied and shared comics online, was extradited to Korea from Japan on the 11th. A is also suspected of operating "Newtoki," the country's largest illegal webtoon and web novel distribution site that was shut down in April.
The Ministry of Justice said it received A, who ran an illegal copied-comics sharing site, in extradition at Gimpo International Airport from the Japanese authorities, together with prosecutors and police.
A left for Japan in 2017 and became a naturalized Japanese citizen in 2022. According to the Ministry of Justice, from 2015 to 2022 A ran an illegal copied-comics sharing site, distributed about 1,400 well-known comics including "Slam Dunk," "One Piece," and "Detective Conan," and posted gambling site ads on the site.
Prosecutors and police requested extradition from the Ministry of Justice in Jan. 2024. In close cooperation not only with prosecutors and police but also with the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, the Ministry of Justice organized the large volume of case materials to make it easier to explain to the Japanese authorities.
The Ministry of Justice and the Korean National Police Agency traveled to Japan on a business trip in Mar., received items seized by Japanese investigators from A's residence, and secured additional evidence. The extradition process began in Mar. this year, and after final approval A was returned to Korea.
Korea and Japan concluded an extradition treaty in 2002. A Ministry of Justice official said, "A is the first case of receiving a Japanese national offender in extradition from Japan."
The Ministry of Justice said the case demonstrated the government's firm resolve to hold overseas copyright violators accountable to the end, as they harm the overall ecosystem of cultural content industries such as Korean webtoons.
Prosecutors, police, and the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism (MCST) plan to fully uncover the methods and operational structure of the crimes through investigations into illegal copied-comics sharing sites related to A and international cooperation, and to thoroughly trace and recover the criminal revenue.
The Korea Digital Content Creators Association (HanConChang) said the site A operated was "Manamoa." A HanConChang official said A is presumed to be the same person as the operator of "Newtoki," the country's largest illegal webtoon and web novel distribution site that was recently shut down, adding, "It should be revealed through a police investigation."
HanConChang and 134 creators victimized by Newtoki filed a complaint with police against the Newtoki operator that day and held a press conference in front of the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency. They demanded that police conduct an immediate investigation into the Newtoki operator, clarify the relationship between the operators of Newtoki and Manamoa, probe the inflow of illegal ads and gambling sites, and thoroughly determine the possibility of hiding criminal revenue.