2 association plans to hold a press conference in front of the Japanese Embassy on August 11, 2018 in Seoul
©Korean Cartoonists Association
The Korean Cartoonists Association and the Korean Webtoon Writers Association announced on July 22 that they launched a petition urging the operators behind the major illegal online pirated website “New Rabbit”, from Japan to South Korea, to extradition.
According to the association, as of August 2023, six major illegal content distribution websites have collectively recorded 260 million visits, 2.25 billion page views and 12.2 million unique users. Of these, New Rabbit alone accounts for 1.15 billion views – more than half of the total. The damage to the site’s activity is estimated to be about $29 million.
In addition to operating the new rabbit, the operator is said to operate other major pirate websites, including Book Rabbit (for online novels) and Mana Rabbit (for Japanese comics).
The association claims that the operator evaded a criminal investigation in 2022 by obtaining Japanese citizenship. “Despite repeated demands on judicial cooperation by the North Korean government, the Japanese authorities have not taken action to essentially allow their citizens to continue to act illegally,” the two associations said. “This ongoing inaction forces the creators to move forward on their own and demand extradition.”
In addition to the petition, the association plans to hold a press conference in Seoul on August 11 at the Japanese Embassy, urging the Japanese government to take decisive action.
The association calls on Japanese authorities to arrest the on-site operators, cooperate in cooperation in extradition procedures, seize servers and assets located in Japan, and encourage Japanese content companies to join the legal action.
source: Then (Kyung-Yoon Kim)
